Spotlight
by Padfoot Arcanine
Summary: Corrine just wanted to start her Pokemon journey with her reluctant Houndour partner. Maybe win a few badges, and all. But something sinister is lurking in the shadows of Sinnoh, and nothing is as innocent as it seems.
1. The Floaroma Folly

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Pokemon._

_**Summary: Corrine just wanted to start her Pokemon journey with her reluctant Houndour partner. Maybe win a few badges, and all. But something sinister is lurking in the shadows of Sinnoh, and nothing is as innocent as it seems. **_

_Here's a rather long AN. I rarely explain my reasons for doing a fic, but yeah. I've read a bunch of fics with original trainers as the focus and there are several ones out there that are magnificent. I decided to have a little fun of my own and write one myself. After working my butt off in college, and heading into my next year at a new school in the fall, I thought I'd take a break during the summer and have some fun with this. A little release of creativity. This fic will take place in Sinnoh, and will involve all the Pokemon from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh itself. Unova will be mentioned, but not extensively detailed since I'm not as familiar with those Pokemon (even though Pokemon Black is my current obsession.) I'm probably making a big deal about this, but I just wanted to get everything clear before I get started. I'm sure no one is even paying attention to this anyway. And this might not get many reviews, but it's okay. It's a little pet project of mine, and I am very excited to start. Anyway, I'm running a bit long with this note. So, enjoy! That's all I can ask haha._

_Another note: I've changed just a bit of the things on here. Updated a little bit. I've gave the character a bit more backstory and changed the age. It has to do with the plot, and everything, so it wasn't just a random thing. It just felt right to me to have the character be a bit older, but not by too much. Anyway, I will stop babbling. Please enjoy!_

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><p><strong>Spotlight<br>****Chapter One: The Floaroma Folly**

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><p>I guess every story starts somewhere. Gym Leaders, Elite Four, Ace Trainers and the like… they all have a story to tell. They all have moments that shape and form their lives and make them who they are. Whether it's good or bad, they have those things to call their own. Those things to be proud of. Those things to regret. It's even valid for nobodies like me. Those that have yet to be graced with a Pokemon partner of their own.<p>

Of course, people make the claim that there is more to life than Pokemon - those people usually go off to make a boring life for themselves. Boring in my opinion, since I could never imagine a life without at least one Pokemon in my life - even though I have never truly had one that I could call _mine_ alone.

My mother does, though. She and my dad own a farm in the center of Floaroma Town, where they use the aid of grass type Pokemon to help make medicine and various other things. They also have a Ponyta, a Rapidash, and a few Miltank. I go out and play with them as often as I can, despite my parents telling me not to because, "You'll stress them out and the product will suffer."

At that point, I usually roll my eyes and continue dancing with the various Gloom.

We have two Pokemon that we keep in the house. Kind of like pets, since they do no battling. One for my mother, after she begged my father to at least have one Pokemon for her own. She received a very small Growlithe - the runt of the litter, actually - who we affectionately call_ Burter_.

While Burter is kind to me, my dad's choice Pokemon is definitely not. He has a cranky old Purugly named Primrose that Dad has had since he was a little boy and she was a tiny Glameow. Primrose absolutely loathes me, and has attacked me on many an occasion. No one else, just me. Not a lovely Pokemon by any means, and I typically held an adoration for them all.

My life has been surrounded by Pokemon since I was little, with all the Miltank and the Ponyta and the house pets, so it was natural that I decided to be a trainer when I wasn't even old enough to know what the term meant.

I have been saying I want a Pokemon for the longest time, but there is one problem - my indecisiveness.

My parents had no trouble with getting me a Pokemon, as long as it was in price range. Nothing rare like a Dratini or Gible, of course. But I didn't want those kinds anyway. Dratini were cute, and Gible were cool enough, but it seemed like cheating if I started out with a _dragon _type from the get go. Especially ones that evolved into such powerhouses like Dragonite and Garchomp.

Even though I couldn't decide on which Pokemon I wanted to start with, they kept up with me, offering option after option. My mom offered up suggestions I thought would scare her - like Heracross. But my mother had always been a wild one. My dad was the more collected one, offering more subdued and girlish options like Skitty or Meowth. I was beginning to think he had a cat fetish.

Heracross had sounded cool, but I couldn't jump on board with the whole cat scenario. Primrose had ruined cats for me, as far as I was concerned.

Still, there wasn't anything that could help me make a decision. However, my notorious indecisiveness wasn't the only problem. You see, my family was short of hands at the farm. My little brother Alec was five years younger than me, and unable to help much around the farm when I was ten and of age to leave the house and go on my adventure. Not to mention my parents weren't keen on letting a ten year old out in the world. Even though I was disappointed that I couldn't go on my adventure, I stayed and helped. It seemed bad to leave them without an extra pair of hands, especially when they didn't have the money to hire anyone. They promised me, though, that if I helped, when my brother was capable, they wouldn't complain about me going on my journey. I was eager to help my mother and father around the farm while they taught my brother the ropes, though I never got that particular advantage. I waited and waited, until they finally said my brother was ready to take my place to help.

A few days before my fourteenth birthday, though, something happened.

Something that would change my life in many ways. Something that would kick start a chain of events that there was no coming back from. From the way I'm talking, you'd think I murdered someone. Or someone killed me. Or something of that magnitude, but it was nothing as extreme as that.

I found a Pokemon.

It was dark and I was walking back from my friend's house. I could faintly hear the sound of the windmill churning away at the air from halfway across town. It was quiet. I figure that's why the noise drew my attention. As quiet as it was, I didn't expect a piercing howl to rise just across from where I stood.

I jolted, frantically looking around. There was no mistaking that sound. It wasn't human, but the sound of pain was universal, and I felt a shiver go down my spine.

I looked around for a moment as everything settled down again. The quiet returned like a thick blanket, and I wondered if I had even heard the sound in the first place. No one else was reacting, so maybe…

Again, the shrill howl pierced the air, chilling me to my bones. This second sound helped me find the general direction of where to go.

I turned to my left, and walked a few steps in that direction. There was a break in the trees and a little pool of blood at the opening. I stifled a gasp as I moved forward. My own safety didn't even come into play - I was just worried about whoever it was in the forest surrounding my normally peaceful little town.

I must have gone pretty far into the woods, since I could only just make out the slight lighting from the town.

I wasn't sure if there was anything else there other than trees and the occasional hooting of a Noctowl, until I saw it.

No wonder I hadn't seen it at first. Its fur was as black as the surrounding night, made even darker under the cover of the trees, the only thing that made the creature recognizable was the little skull cap placed on its head, the white cuffs around its paws, and the splashes of orange on the otherwise unmarked fur…

I took a look, and recanted my statement.

There were wounds marking the creature, deep puncture wounds, slight scratches. The ground around the Houndour was a bloody mess from where they had bled.

First I was shocked at the wounds, and I wondered how to help. But underneath that, I was secretly in awe. I'd never seen a Houndour in person before. I wondered how it got here, in a town known mostly for bug and grass types.

_Bug… _the thought hit me like a ton of bricks. Those puncture wounds looked like they could be the work of a bug type. Beedrill or Ariados, maybe. I shuddered - Ariados slightly creeped me out.

But no, there was something rattling just to the left of me. I moved my eyes from the wounded Pokemon to where the rustling sound was coming from.

I froze.

Looking at me with cold, reptilian eyes was a Seviper.

Grotesquely, its fangs were coated in blood, and a bit of the dried stuff was clinging to the scales around its face. I gulped as the predator assessed me.

_That's odd, too. Seviper are mostly native to Hoenn. How could it be here anyway?_

I didn't have time to think more on it because the snake looked to be gaining confidence. I was just one girl. And a gangly one at that. The Seviper could probably take me out in no time, and it would be a while before anyone found me…

I launched myself forward.

Crazy, right? But the only thing I could think of at that moment was saving that Houndour. The Seviper shot back a bit, leveling its gaze as if something had interested him, and I tried to ignore the way its tongue flicked out of its mouth. My arms shot around the body of the black dog, and there was a sharp pain in my upper arm. I ignored it, turning and running out of the forest, not caring to look to see if the Seviper was following. I scrambled out of the woods, surprised that I hadn't fallen yet.

I didn't think the Pokemon Center was open, so I didn't even consider that option. I ran straight for my house.

Before I even got to the door, I tripped on the steps, flinging myself and the Houndour across the porch like we were a sack of laundry. I slid, and my head knocked against the door, echoing throughout the house. I would have laughed if I hadn't been trembling with fright.

My parent were at the door in a matter of seconds, expecting me. I saw my mother's slipper-clad feet come to a stop in front of my face, and I looked up, keeping my arms firmly wrapped around the Houndour.

She gasped, "Sweetie! What happened?"

"Long story…" I told her, rising shakily to my feet. My father wrapped his firm hand around my upper arm and I winced.

"It bit you," he stated, almost like he was commenting on the weather. My mother was by my side, helping me into the house, and she squealed at the sight of it.

"We need to dress that wound of yours." Mom said, and I looked at her skeptically.

"And the Houndour…fix it, too."

"_Him_." my father said. "The Houndour's a _him_."

"Him. Right." I said, not really caring at the moment, as long as he would be okay.

Dad took the Houndour from my arms and carried him into the living room, laying him down on the coffee table. My little brother Alec peered down the stairs and gave a little yelp.

"Alec, hon, go back upstairs."

"What happened?" he asked, his large blue eyes wary, his dark hair mussed with sleep. He reached out and rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes before he focused them on the scene. He looked at me worriedly, "Why is sis bleeding? What's that…black dog doing here…?"

"_Houndour_." I corrected automatically, I felt my dad look at me like I'd gone insane.

My mom started to work on bandaging the Houndour, cleaning his wounds and wiping off the dried blood from his skull cap and fur. He was unconscious, so he wasn't able to take a bite at her like he did me.

Dad brought me over to the couch and made me sit down. "What were you thinking?"

"There was a Seviper…I just stumbled upon it in the woods…"

"Oh, I need to go get some Antidote from the PokeMart, then." my mother said, scurrying around me. I looked over to the Houndour on the table and saw that he was bandaged and clean. Mom was surprisingly efficient at those kinds of things. Before I knew it, she had grabbed her coat and was gone.

Dad stared at me, disapproving, "So you just…saved this Houndour?"

Primrose chose that moment to jump up on the couch where I sat, and I cringed. She gave a look in my direction before looking at the Houndour. The superiority in her eyes was enough to make me groan.

"I did. I heard him howling, and I just…dove into the woods to get him. I didn't see the Seviper until I was too close."

"Strange…Seviper and Houndour aren't usually around here, unless in very rare cases." Dad mused as he started to clean my wound. The job didn't take long. Though there was a lot of blood, the wounds weren't deep, just a row of punctures wrapped around my arm like some kind of gory tattoo. He brought out the bandages and wrapped them around and around my arm until it was tightly in place.

"I guess this is one of those rare cases…" I told him, and at that moment Mom decided to return, a bag of Antidotes in one hand and some Pokemon food in the other.

"I assume he's a wild Pokemon…not sure if he'll like this type of Pokemon food, but you can't say I didn't try."

I smiled at Mom as Dad tied the last bit of bandage around my arm.

Alec had ignored Mom's advice and was now at the base of the stairs, Burter in his arms, looking tiny in comparison to the other doglike Pokemon on the table. He looked excited though, the puff of his tail waggling here and there, brushing against Alec's puny arms.

"Are they going to be alright?"

Mom nodded. She'd learned a lot from Nurse Joy - when Burter was smaller, she had to take him to the vet often. Not to mention the various other ailments that would pop up, afflicting our other Pokemon. So while she was at the Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy would teach her many things about medicine and whatnot. How to tie a bandage. What things could be used to cure infection. Things like that. My mother was a natural, surprisingly, considering her ditzy nature.

I gazed at the Houndour, watching to see the slow rise and fall of his side to check if he was breathing. He was, and it made me feel that much better.

"I'm going to sleep down here tonight, if you don't mind."

"Not at all." Mom replied, "Someone needs to keep an eye on him."

I nodded, my gaze never leaving the black animal.

"I'll get you some blankets…" Mom said, making her way upstairs. "Alec, bring Burter and go to sleep."

"Fine, Mom…" I could hear the reluctance in Alec's voice, but he followed Mom anyway. I watched them retreat up the stairs.

Dad leaned down and kissed my forehead, "I'm going to bed. Sleep good. Wake us up if anything changes."

I nodded, and my dad left. Mom came back down later, blankets in hand. She spread them out along the couch, and threw a pillow at one end. Mom gave me a tight hug before kissing my cheek and leaving me, "Goodnight."

"'Night."

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><p>I slept surprisingly well on our raggedy little couch, and woke to the early morning light.<p>

The Houndour wasn't awake - for one, chilling moment, I had thought he had died during the night. But I saw the telltale movement of his back and heard light snores coming from his nose, and I relaxed. He was knocked out. Maybe this would be a good time to take him to the Pokemon Center. After all, it would surely be open now. And the Center was free, so more reason to go. There could be something more wrong with him that Mom didn't notice.

So, I rose from the couch and made my way up the stairs, feeling rather stiff since I slept in my jeans and t-shirt from last night. Gross, too. I decided on taking a quick shower and changing, which I accomplished in record time. My hair was still damp when I slid down the banister and into the living room.

The Houndour was still sleeping, and I moved toward him slowly, like he could wake at any second. I scribbled a hasty note to my parents, who were surely out and working with the Miltank, Ponyta, and Rapidash. Afterwards, I cradled the black bundle in my arms and moved out the door.

I moved swiftly to the Pokemon Center. It wasn't that far across town, and I made it just as Nurse Joy was powering up the place.

"Oh, good morning," she chimed, and then looked at the Pokemon that I held so carefully. "My, what happened?"

I quickly relayed the story of last night to her, and she nodded, gasping at the appropriate times. Seviper, with their long, dagger-like fangs, obviously gave her the chills.

"You could have brought him in last night, though. I'm always here. Pokemon Centers are required to take any Pokemon at any time."

I mentally slapped myself.

"Oh. Right." I said, feeling myself blush furiously. "Sorry."

"No problem. A common mistake with new trainers."

"I'm not a trainer yet…" I said, trailing off.

Nurse Joy smiled at me, warm and inviting and reminding me so much of my mother, "Maybe you will be soon." She looked at the Houndour and back at me.

I smiled at her, but didn't know if she was right. I didn't know if I could ask that much of the Houndour, after all he had been through. He probably wouldn't want to travel with me at all. He'd probably end up biting me again…

I followed Nurse Joy into the Center and she took the Houndour carefully from my arms. I watched as she took him into the back room and slumped in one of the uncomfortable chairs they had decked the Center out with.

I couldn't help but think about what Nurse Joy had said. Or implied, really. That Houndour could be my partner - my _starter_ Pokemon. It filled me with joy, but then I was suddenly sad, wondering if he wouldn't want to. It felt wrong to force him, but I wasn't sure why. Wasn't that what trainers did every day? Force Pokemon into Pokeballs and…

But that was different, surely. The case with the Houndour was completely different. I'd saved him, not weakened him with my own Pokemon. And, despite whatever anyone else said, it would feel wrong taking him away into my world without his permission. Silly, I know, but I found myself caring for the Houndour more than I thought I would when I saved him just last night from that Seviper. It was crazy, how attached I was in such a short amount of time.

It didn't take long for Nurse Joy to check out the Houndour. She appeared in front of me with a smile, holding the Houndour in her arms. He had woken up since then, probably from the examination. He was eyeing me warily. But he looked healthy, the bloodied bandages removed, the flesh beneath them healed of the ugly puncture wounds and scratches from last night. I was amazed. Whatever they had in the water here was certainly working.

The Houndour looked tired, though, watching me with dark, dark eyes. I gave him a grin, and he scowled. I let out a loud breath, downtrodden.

"He's going to be fine," Nurse Joy said cheerfully, "He's just tired, with good reason. You can take him home now."

I winced. I didn't know if he actually wanted to come home with me.

The Houndour twisted in Nurse Joy's arms, and for once I could see just how malnourished he was. I could see his ribs poking out against his skin, and I inhaled sharply.

I held out my arms, and the Houndour bit.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, clutching the side of my hand where two of his razor sharp teeth had gotten through. The wound was bleeding only slightly though, and I fixed my gaze onto him, lips pursed.

Nurse Joy smiled gently, "You know, for some Pokemon, that means they like you."

"Some _sadistic_ Pokemon, no doubt."

The Houndour growled at me. I reached out for him again, and he tried to snap this time, but seemed to miss on purpose, as if he was just putting up a front.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy. I appreciate it."

"No problem. Anytime. Oh, and tell your father that Primrose is due for a checkup soon. I'd love to see Burter as well."

I smiled at her and nodded before I left the Center, hearing the bell jingle as I left. Maybe I would tell Dad about Primrose's checkup, maybe not… I smirked, but then sighed. I knew that I'd have to tell them or the guilt would eat at me. Stupid emotions…

I felt the Houndour look up at me, so I focused my gaze on him. He was looking at me with barely concealed curiosity as I took him back to my house.

"I know you probably hate me," I told him, "but I'm just taking you to the house to get you something to eat."

He blinked and shifted, and I felt the outline of his ribs against my palm.

"But, I do have something to tell you, or ask, or whatever."

The Houndour wrinkled his nose at me and I took in a deep breath.

Better now than never…

"My name is Corrine, and I was wondering if you'd travel with me."

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><p><em><strong>End Chapter One.<strong>_


	2. Zeke

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Pokemon._

_Thanks so much to __**OceanSpiral**__ for my first review! You have no idea how excited I was when I saw I got at least one review haha. I wasn't even expecting __**that **__much, to be honest. I am so glad you like the story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! For anyone else who is reading this and wants a good fic to read, go check out her stories "Spirited" and "Opposites Attract." They're amazing, to say the least. Anyway, here's the next chapter, and I hope y'all enjoy it! I've changed a few things (age, mainly), but it just felt like the story would flow better if I did. I would love to hear everyone's opinions on it! _

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><p><strong>Spotlight<br>****Chapter Two: Zeke**

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><p>"Ow! Ow, ow, <em>ow<em>!"

Instead of answering my question - which was useless anyway because he was a _Pokemon _- the Houndour decided it would be best to treat my arm like it was a piece of beef jerky. I think he was fond of that idea, at least. He wouldn't let go, the little thing. Even with his ribs poking out and the bumps of his spine visible even underneath the carapace of bone on his back, he wouldn't let go. Even though I was in pain, I had to admire his…_tenacity_.

"Oh, c'mon! Let go, please!"

The Houndour growled against my flesh. I shook my arm lightly, not wanting to dislodge any of his teeth, but they ended up tearing the wound ragged. I sighed and rushed home, wondering if I could somehow put my father's useless Purugly to use in aiding me in my current…problem.

My arm was absolutely aching by the time I arrived at home. Alec was sitting at the kitchen table, spreading some jelly over toast, and he looked at me quizzically, "Corrine…what - ?"

"Help me! This Houndour has lost his mind!" In response to my statement, he clamped down harder. "Ow! You should have been born a _Gabite_!"

This seemed to please the Houndour, and I could've sworn I heard him chuckling against my arm.

Alec walked up, and placed his hand on the Houndour's face. He tensed, but then eased up a bit, before cocking his head in the direction of my little brother. Slowly, he let loose his death grip on my arm, and looked at Alec. Unsurprising. My brother had the power to neutralize even the wildest of Pokemon, apparently.

The Houndour glared at me as I moved over to the kitchen and sat him down. He stretched out, gazing up at me every now and then. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. Still, the prominence of his bones bothered me, so I moved to get the Pokemon food my mother brought.

I got a bowl and poured the food into it. I placed it on the floor in front of the Houndour, and he sniffed experimentally. He wrinkled his muzzle before he took a bite. Apparently, it tasted decent, because he scarfed the rest of it down. I was refilling the bowl before I even had the thought to. I wanted him to eat, wanted him to recover, so he was safe in the wild if he didn't want to be my partner.

Alec bent over and stroked the black dog Pokemon behind his ears. Surprisingly - or maybe not-so-surprisingly - the Houndour didn't bite him.

"Your birthday is tomorrow." Alec looked up at me as the Houndour continued to eat.

I stared at him, "Yeah."

"Have you decided on a starter Pokemon yet?"

I tensed, and the Houndour looked up at me.

"No…"

"I think you and Houndour should be partners."

I coughed, laughing, and Alec just blankly stared at me. The Houndour barked out something that sounded like a snicker. A wicked, evil, plotting little snicker. It was me, for once, that scowled at the doglike Pokemon.

"Looks like we were thinking the same thing." I turned my gaze to my brother and chuckled, ruffling his already mussed hair.

"Have you asked?" Alec asked, his eyes wide and enormous in his thin, youthful face. His scrawny arms waved around at his sides, and he looked eager. Too eager. The kid was nine, after all, and just as excited about Pokemon as I was when I was his age. As I still am, to be frank.

The Houndour barked his answer that sounded vaguely like a yes, and I stared at him. He was snickering, but a hint of confusion flickered in his eyes.

Alec bent down even further (which I had not thought possible) and looked directly into the Houndour's eyes, "Why won't you go with my sister?"

The Houndour looked at him, almost narrowing his eyes as he did so. And here I thought no one could turn down my brother's innate charm. He let out a bark and that caused my brother to stumble over his own feet, falling back on his bottom with a small cry of protest.

I laughed at him, and soon I heard the Houndour's snickers join mine. I looked down at him with nothing short of amusement, and my laughter continued, even if it was slightly hysterical now. I wondered what he was thinking at this moment. It would have been interesting to actually be able to understand what he was saying. But, then again, I probably wouldn't like what I'd hear.

Alec looked at us, calculating something, before finally saying, "You two both have an awful sense of humor."

This just caused another round of laughs, and I felt lighter. The darkness of the previous day was lifting and I felt more like myself ever since I found that Houndour in the forest. I looked down at him and he snorted a plume of smoke out of his nostrils in amusement.

The creaking slide of the glass door that lead out to the backyard was what interrupted our strange reverie. I jolted, looking to see that my mother was pulling off a pair of gardening gloves and wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"Oh, you're back, Corrine. I was beginning to get worried about you."

"Yeah, Ma."

Mom snorted, much like the Houndour from before, and she noted the proximity between us. She seemed to come to the conclusion that my brother had, "You and that Houndour suit each other, in a strange way. And you haven't picked a starter yet. Why don't you - "

"I asked him…I don't really know his answer yet."

Mom smiled at me lightly, "I'm impressed. I've known people to throw a Pokeball as soon as they could in situations like this, and the Pokemon usually wouldn't have a choice."

The Houndour looked at me, cocking his head to the side, and let out a small, "Dour…"

I blinked, realizing that was the first time I'd heard him speak. I felt a smile fall over my face.

"Yeah?"

It seemed he too had thought of what my mother had mentioned - about trainers just automatically catching anything, no matter how reluctant. I mean, I knew that was a big part of catching Pokemon in general, but it just felt wrong to _not _ask the Houndour if he wanted to join me. The circumstances made me feel odd about it. I didn't want to force something on him just after he had been attacked…

"Houndour-dour."

I looked over to him, and he was staring at me, unperturbed. For a fire type, he certainly was laid back. Either that, or he was certain that he knew what power he held over me at that moment.

I looked at him, seeing the way his ribs poked out beneath the superficial bones that adorned his back. Watched as his stubby little tail wagged back and forth. I inhaled as I watched Mom tell Alec something or another, and the two of them walked outside. I figured they had to do something Pokemon-related, but I wasn't sure why they didn't include me.

I figured I needed to change clothes. My wound had bled onto my shirt in a large spot, so I moved up the stairs.

As soon as I got into my room, I pulled my shirt off and replaced it with a large and baggy t-shirt with a few holes in it that I usually wore when I went to help my parents with the Pokemon.

I turned around, and there was the Houndour.

I shrieked, and he bared his teeth at me, obviously not liking the harsh sound. I felt my face turn red, though I wasn't know why. I was flustered that he had followed me and I hadn't even heard him, but even more flustered that I had gotten topless in front of him. It shouldn't matter, right?

Obviously it didn't to him. He was laying down on the rug I had placed at the foot of my bed. He had his head rested on his paws, and his eyes were trained on me. I stared at him, wondering what he was doing.

"Houndour," he barked.

"Wh-What?" I asked him, tilting my head to the side.

"Dour."

I felt one of my eyebrows raise and I walked over to the bed, sitting down. The Houndour obviously didn't like me towering over him like this, since the bed was so far up, so he stood up himself. I could still see his ribs, I thought in worry.

He nudged his head against my knee, and I looked at him quizzically. Barking once, he nudged at my knee yet again.

Yeah, that made a lot of sense.

"What?"

"Houn_dour_." he said, more decisively.

"Uh," I took a stab in the dark at what he was getting at, "yes, you can have more food?"

He nipped at my ankle, and I felt the scratch that his teeth left. "Hey!"

He rolled his eyes at me and turned around, trudging over to the desk where my bulky computer sat. He plopped down on his haunches and quirked a brow at me. I wasn't sure how big Houndour were supposed to be, but this one looked awfully tiny, I noticed with a small shock. I wondered if it was because he was young or if it was because he was the runt of his litter like Burter.

The Houndour seemed to notice my scrutiny, and he turned his head to the side, huffing. I exhaled a breath I didn't even realize I was holding and got up to cross the room. I grabbed my backpack and set out for the great outdoors. I wasn't sure what my parents had planned for me today, but if it was anything involving milking the Miltank, I wouldn't be too excited, even though I loved Miltank.

I plodded down the stairs, my clumsy feet making themselves known to even our neighbors, I was sure. I slung the strap of the pack over my shoulder as I went and wrenched open the sliding glass door. When I went to close it, I saw that the Houndour had yet again followed me. I wrinkled my nose in thought, the most prominent word in my mind being _huh_?

I sighed and turned back around. Well, if the Houndour was going to say no to my proposition, then…

"That Houndour seems to like you."

I turned around and found my dad, sitting in the small swing on the patio, Primrose in his lap. I felt my nose wrinkle again this time, but for a whole other reason.

I pointed to the new wound on my arm, scoffed, and said, "If this is what you mean by _like_, then I'm sure he does."

The Houndour snickered behind me.

"Dark types always seem to have a strange sense of humor."

"Dark?"

Dad nodded, scratching Primrose behind the ears, "Houndour are a dual type - fire and dark."

I blinked. That sounded extremely cool, and I grinned despite myself, despite the fact that I was certain the Houndour wasn't going to be my starter, "Sounds awesome."

I paused for a moment, staring at the Houndour, who was just sitting down and glaring at the Purugly on my father's lap. Well, at least we had something in common.

"Is there anything I need to do today?"

Dad shook his head, "I'm giving you the day off."

"What? Why?" I was puzzled.

"Tomorrow is your birthday, after all. And you need your rest if you and Houndour are going to be up and at it tomorrow."

"Dad, he doesn't want to be my partner."

I felt the teeth sink deep into my bony ankle, and I fought back a curse word. Looking down, I saw that the Houndour was biting me again, and I cringed, though it didn't hurt as bad as the first time.

"I think he does."

I blinked - my brother and my father must have inherited the same uncanny skills with Pokemon, with how naturally they talked about it. Even my mother had the natural ease with which she raised the Pokemon around the place. I must be the odd one out, I decided, the one that had just about as much tact as a Quagsire.

I looked down at the Houndour, and blinked a few times, trying to get my father's words through my thick head. Did the Houndour want to be my partner? Is that why he followed me up to my room and had that awkward encounter with me? I sighed lightly before asking the question that was on my mind.

"Well…do you?"

The Houndour smirked - and that was something I was infinitely amazed by. He gave one light bark before nudging me with his cold, wet nose.

"Your father is always right." Dad chimed in, and Primrose meowed in her usual deep, nasally way.

"I wasn't aware you were being _Mom _for a day." I remarked, and he glowered gently at me.

"Dour."

I looked down at the Houndour, and smiled, "You want to be my partner?" My current sarcasm-war with my father was forgotten as I felt a lightness in the pit of my stomach. I was happy, and I was sure that registered on my face, "Really?"

The Houndour turned his head to the side and let out a breath, almost like saying, "Duh, you stupid human. I've been trying to make that clear."

Or maybe I was being hard on myself, but it definitely seemed like something the Houndour would say.

I grinned, full out. I was pretty sure I looked like I had lost the last of my marbles, but I just couldn't seem to stop. I had a Pokemon - _my first Pokemon_. I felt suddenly like I wanted to run, wanted to sprint and jump and laugh and play with the Ponyta that pranced back and forth in their enclosure.

Don't judge.

I launched myself at the Houndour, almost like the first night we met, and wrapped my arms around his little neck. I supposed I just couldn't help but get a bit emotional when it came to Pokemon. What trainer in their right mind wouldn't?

And that's when the Houndour bit me. _Again_.

Well, maybe he wasn't all the way ready for me to be all touchy-feely with him, but that was okay. Just caught up in the spur of the moment, I supposed.

Dad had told me something, but I wasn't listening. I gazed up at him and he repeated, "You should nickname him."

I nodded, "I had been thinking about that - even before I got my starter." _My starter. _It thrilled me to be able to say that about the Houndour.

I looked at him, long and hard, and decided to joke, "Princess?"

The Houndour bit me.

"Ow! Joking, joking…" The Houndour growled at me, and I paused before I started thinking. Spike? No, that was too cliché. Bones? Cliché, again. Cerberus? Even more cliché - _and _evil sounding. I decided to stray away from the typical names associated with darkness and fire and Houndour in general. So I pondered some regular, human names.

I looked at him as a list of boy names ran across my mind. Each one didn't seem to fit him. They were either too generic or too…_not him_. I was just about to beat my head into the cement of the patio when it came to me. I know I'm speaking as if I'd had some kind of revelation, but hey, I was just about to turn fourteen. Making my own _supper _was a revelation, let alone naming something permanently.

"Zeke."

The Houndour looked at me, seeming to let this sink in. After blinking a few times, as if to get used to it, he grinned toothily. I was certain that was what Jekyll looked like on one of his angry-happy days, and I shivered.

"Yeah, you're Zeke!" I repeated like a complete moron, happy with the name, happy with my Pokemon, happy with everything.

My father grinned at me and Primrose jumped down from his lap, stretched, and made her way over to us, though I barely noticed.

Zeke barked at me, and I felt the slight heat from his breath. Definitely a fire type, alright. And part dark, too. I had heard somewhere that dark types were notoriously difficult to train, and anyone who mastered them were considered truly great. But that definition sounded so technical to me, inhuman. All I wanted now was to have Zeke's friendship, his trust. I wanted to be his parter, not his _dictator_, though him listening to me would be quite nice, I concluded guiltily.

I wasn't sure when it happened, but somehow Primrose had ended up beside me and ran her claws almost maliciously down my leg, like I was a scratching post. I immediately screamed and tried to swat her away. She meowed at me, and I clutched my leg as I let "Dammit!" slip from my mouth. Dad looked me and said my name in a very paternal tone. I flushed and murmured an apology.

I moved to scold the cat with more Dad-friendly language, but Zeke was two steps ahead of me.

Before I knew what was happening, he shot out a small little fireball at the catlike Pokemon. The fire landed on Primrose's face, scorching her whiskers, and she let out a sharp peal of terror. I found myself falling back onto the concrete, my arms around my stomach, laughing so hard that my sides hurt. Zeke was chuckling lightly, but staring at me as if I'd lost my mind. The look on that cat's face was priceless.

At that moment, I couldn't have been happier. Even with the cuts and bruises and Houndour bites, I couldn't have been happier. Not even if I tried.

* * *

><p><em><strong>End Chapter Two.<strong>_


	3. Of Hicks and Townies

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Pokemon._

_I really appreciate the reviews! It means so much, y'all have no idea. Anyway, I'm going to keep this little note short, so it doesn't interfere with anything. Again, thanks for the reviews! Please enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

><p><strong>Spotlight<br>****Chapter Three: Of Hicks and Townies **

* * *

><p>"Happy birthday!"<p>

I jumped, flinging the covers around spastically. Even though I hadn't slept as soundly as I wanted to the night before, I found myself startled out of a deep doze to find my whole family crowded in my room. Zeke looked particularly peeved. He had slept on the floor for some reason, and had ignored my offer to let him sleep in the same bed with me. He didn't say anything else, though, only snored lightly at the foot of my bed on my old, ratty rug, and I found that comforting.

He had gained a few pounds in the short time that he'd been with us. He was still on the skinny side, but he didn't look as bad as he did when I first stumbled upon him. His coat was a shiny, glossy black, and his ribs weren't as prominent. He might have grown a bit, but he still looked awfully tiny compared to the Houndour I saw on television.

I blinked several times, the sudden bright light hurting my tired eyes. I gazed at my mother and father and Alec, all huddled together in a comically happy bundle. I wasn't sure what to do, so I smiled awkwardly and shared my thanks.

"We have cake for you!" Alec chirped like a Chatot.

My head whirled, "For breakfast?"

"Of course! It's your birthday!" Only my mother…

"She must be exhausted, usually she wouldn't as so many questions about cake for breakfast." My father moved to look at me with a grin on his face.

"I was kind of wound up for today to get here already." I admitted a bit sheepishly, turning to look for Zeke. He placed his paws on the edge of my mattress, connected his eyes with mine, and barked.

Dad smile at me, "Yeah, I can see that. When something big happens, you never get to sleep on time."

I coughed a laugh at that. Just like your family to know you better than anyone else. I stretched my arms over my head just as Alec put the cake on my bedside table. Zeke trudged over and looked up at it uncertainly. I could see him sniffing the air, almost to figure out what it was. Glancing up at me for a brief minute, I could see that he was uncertain as to what to do.

Taking my distraction as an advantage, Alec ducked back and brought out three items, two of which were wrapped in plain paper, and the other was a brand new backpack, red, with the tags still attached.

I took the pack in my hands and let out an ashamedly girlish squeal. A brand new backpack! That was definitely more than I had asked for. It was a practical request, but I didn't think they'd actually buy me one, being strapped for cash as we were. I leaped out of my bed and almost stepped on Zeke, "Awesome! This is the best thing _ever_."

Mom laughed at me while Dad shook his head and held out the two packages that I had completely forgotten about. "Here. Your other two."

I took them from his hands. Upon opening them, I discovered a box of six neatly aligned Pokeballs and a Pokedex. A _Pokedex_.

"Mom…Dad…this is too much. A _Pokedex_? Really?" I could hardly get the words out, shocked as I was at the electronic device suddenly making an appearance.

Mom smiled that motherly smile at me, and explained, "This sounds bad, but since we didn't have to actually purchase you your starter, we decided to pool the money and buy you one of these."

A Pokedex was expensive unless you got it for free when you signed up for one of the starters in Twinleaf Town. Here, however, they cost a pretty penny. Not too much for most people, but for my parents, it was pretty bad. I clicked open the flap of the Pokedex and stared at the smooth inner surface of it, at the buttons beneath the screen, and at my trainer's license placed on the back cover of the flap. Identification. I was stunned, and my fingers idly traced the license.

Dad pressed a small blue button on the inside of the Dex, and I jolted when the machine actually _talked _to me.

"_Hello, I am the Pokedex belonging to the trainer Corrine Bray from Floaroma Town, here to help her on her Pokemon journey. If lost, please return to this address…"_

The Pokedex then named where I lived, and who had given me the Pokedex - my mother and fathers names rang clear in the air. I stared at the piece of technology, stunned. I was surprised that there was technology out there like this…maybe that was a product of me being simpleminded, but oh well.

"Try it out, honey," my mother cooed.

"Uh...how?"

Dad scoffed and took the device from my hand. I almost stopped him from taking it from me, so attached to the device that I was now. I watched as my father pointed the Pokedex at Zeke, who nudged it with his nose just as it beeped and the blue button at the top flashed. He didn't jump, like I did, only backed up slightly. I laughed at him. He glared at me. Oh, I could totally see the fun we would have together.

The Pokedex announced in clear, clinical terms a small sentence about Houndour nature in general, and then Dad nudged my shoulder and pointed to the screen.

"It's a rather useful little device," he started as I gaped at the screen.

A picture of a Houndour was on the screen, and below that was an arrow that pointed downward. I pressed that, and the gender, height, weight, and attack set of Zeke was immediately displayed.

I noted that Zeke currently knew only two movies - Tackle and Growl. That must have meant that he was at a low level, but I hardly cared. We would get stronger eventually.

"Admit it," Alec spoke up, grinning. "You wouldn't have known his attacks if we hadn't have shown you how to work the thing."

"I wouldn't have known how to work the thing if you didn't show me how to work the thing, _booger_."

"_You're_ a booger."

"Oh, hush," my mother dismissed the two of us. "Corrine, maybe you shouldn't go off on your own if you act two years old."

I grinned toothily at her.

"Here are your Pokeballs," Dad said, shoving the box that contained the six Pokeballs in my face.

"But...I can only carry _six_," I told him, puzzled, "Zeke makes _seven_."

"You haven't actually captured Zeke yet, sweetie." Oh, Mother, ever the patient saint with me.

"Oh. Right." I said, "I blame my lack of sleep for that mix up."

"I hope so, because if not, that's just _sad_."

"_Dad_!"

It was Dad's turn to grin.

I threw off the blanket and stepped down from my bed, carrying the box of Pokeballs in my hand. I picked out one of them and pressed the little button on the front. Immediately, the Pokeball maximized, and I gasped. I had always seen it done on television and by trainers around, but had never actually had the feeling of doing that myself. It was a strange thing to get taken aback by, but it was pleasant. Again, I blame my lack of sleep.

"C'mere, Zeke."

He looked at me and pointedly didn't move.

"Zeke!"

I saw the evil glint to his eyes, and said, "Zeke, _please_."

He _still _wasn't moving.

"Ugh!" I grunted after a few minutes of the stubborn face-off, and finally closed the distance between us. I told myself not to get annoyed repeatedly. Didn't want to start this day out on the wrong foot. I kneeled in front of him and held out the Pokeball. I grinned at him, "Okay, this won't be bad. Just...er...stay still?"

Zeke clamped down on the non-Pokeball hand. I let out a yelp and said, "Is that thing sure that he doesn't know Crunch?"

My family was snickering at me now, looking quite amused at this situation. I tried to pay them no mind. _Stay calm, stay calm._

I pressed the Pokeball to the side of Zeke's head and let go. I felt the relief that came when he was sucked into the Pokeball, his jaws free from my arm at last. Man, that thing had an awful bite! The ball fell to the floor and swayed back and forth once, twice, three times...

And then broke open.

"Are you _serious_!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in a slight indication of surrender. Zeke was staring at me as though he thought himself quite clever. I could see his short little tail moving back and forth, and a very strange humanlike grin was on his face, teeth bared in what I could only think of as an evil smile - a slasher smile, like those psychotic killers on television shows.

Then, to add injury to insult, he clamped back down on my arm.

Mom, Dad, and Alec all burst into full blown laughter while I looked desperately down at the Houndour. He was staring up at me, even as his teeth sawed into my arm. I rapped him gently on his skull cap and said, "What the hell was that?"

"Language, Corrine."

"Sorry, Dad."

I felt him snickering against my arm and then he let go, facing me and looking like he had had his fun, but was still serious about training with me. I sighed and took out another Pokeball and repeated the process. This time, he went into the safety of the Pokeball without fuss, or any of his strange practical jokes. I watched in relief as the little red light faded to white, signaling that he was officially caught. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding in.

"Looks like I'm going to have to buy Pokeballs anyway..." I muttered to myself as I rolled Zeke's Pokeball around in my hand, feeling the cool, smooth surface against my fingers.

"Remember what I said about Dark types, Corrine."

"Yeah, yeah," I said quietly back, "I know. But, hey, if a Pokemon like Zeke obeyed me off the bat, I'd be a little worried."

"Hate to see what the rest of your team is going to look like," my brother snickered.

Maturely, I stuck my tongue out at him.

Several pieces of cake later, my family left me in the room to get dressed and ready for the day. I felt the anticipation curling in my stomach. Today I would finally begin my journey as a trainer. I was a jumble of emotions, practically vibrating with excitement as I made my way down the stairs. I had the new backpack hanging from one shoulder, and inside it I stuffed various amounts of clothes from my room as well as the Pokedex and the badge case and town map I had found in the box underneath the six Pokeballs. I walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a few bottles of water and food that wouldn't spoil. The five Pokeballs I had left were strapped to my belt, Zeke's at the front, just in case.

Mom and Dad and Alec were standing by the door. I found the thing all very cliche and unecessary, but I walked toward them anyway, my cheeks red. I felt like I was in some Western movie, off to save the day by the way my family were looking at me.

Our goodbyes were short, but sweet. Mom burst into tears while my dad made chiding jokes at her and Alec tried to comfort her. I sighed, antsy to get out on the road again, and said, "Well, I'll be off. Love all of you!"

I waved to my parents, whose smothering presence dispelled as soon as I got out of the door. I looked back only once and saw them watching me as I walked away.

Now, I had time to contemplate what I was going to do. There were two cities with gyms that were closest to me - Eterna City and Oreburgh City. I thought for a moment before deciding to start at Oreburgh. It was an out-of-the-way route to take, but I could at least battle some trainers on the way there. I found myself skipping slightly as I officially left Floaroma Town.

And smacked straight into a girl and her Piplup.

Of course, being the one with questionable balance, I tumbled onto my bottom with a graceless, "Ouch!"

"Watch where you're going!" the girl in question hissed. I looked up at her, brushing my waves of brown hair out of the way.

She was obviously a new trainer, judging by the Piplup on her shoulder, however, she couldn't be but just a year younger than me. She had black hair that was cut in a tidy bob and dark brown eyes. Her hands were on her hips, and the Piplup on her shoulder chirped, "_Luup_!"

I hefted myself to my feet, shaking my head slightly, and then looked at her. Two other people who I supposed were her friends came rushing towards us, looking distraught and put-out.

"Oh, Lauren, come on. Don't pick on another trainer!" a boy with a mess of shocking red hair, freckles, and light brown eyes said, looking at her as if fearful for whoever it was that had incurred her wrath this time. He held a Chimchar in his arms, and I almost laughed at the complimentary color scheme of trainer and Pokemon.

"Lauren, let's just find the Drifloon and leave..." said another girl's controlled voice. This one clearly had a kinder nature than this Lauren chick. Her vivid red hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and her brown eyes were soft and unthreatening.

"Er - Drifloon?" I questioned, blinking slightly.

"_Yeah_, Drifloon," Lauren said, flashing her eyes at me, "you nosy little - "

"Drifloon are right around there," I pointed vaguely in the direction of Valley Windworks. "But they only come on Fridays. Don't ask why. No one's really sure about that."

I had fond memories of playing around there as a child. The Drifloon that greeted me were kind, and sometimes I'd play with them as if they were actually the balloons they so resembled. Until my mother found out, that is. She forbade me from going to Valley Windworks until I had passed the age of ten, saying something to the extent of, _"Those darn Drifloon carry away children, Corrine!"_

I found myself smiling at the memory, taken away by it until Lauren screamed, "You're _lying_!"

I blinked at her, unconcerned, "Uh, I'm afraid not... I grew up here. I'm pretty aware of the Pokemon in this region. You'll just have to wait a few days until - "

Lauren snarled at me, "You think you're such a know-it-all, huh - "

But I had found something infinitely more interesting than Lauren's tirade - the little Turtwig standing ever-so sweetly near the ankles of the red haired girl.

"Oh my goodness!" I exclaimed, walking over to her and kneeling down to the Turtwig's level, "Aren't you _adorable_?"

"Wig?" the Turtwig said in confusion. I grinned at him brightly, and patted him on the head.

He promptly bit me; I cursed.

The Turtwig looked at me sheepishly, dislodging his powerful jaw from my arm - the bandaged one where Zeke had bitten me just days ago. I sighed and rubbed it, wincing.

"Oh, I'm so, so sorry!" the red haired girl exclaimed, bending over to pick up her Turtwig, "That's just how Tully shows his approval of some things."

Tully the Turtwig - that was so sweet it gave me cavaties.

"No, no, don't be," I told her, getting to my feet, my hand still rubbing light circles over the aggravated injury. "Tully, huh? Cute name."

"Thanks," the girl said, smiling, "I'm Amelia. This is my big brother Benji and his friend Lauren."

"Nice to meet - " I was cut off by Lauren's screams at Benji. Somehow she'd taken her anger at me out on him. I found myself laughing suddenly, before introducing myself, "I'm Corrine."

"Good to meet you, too," Amelia said cordially. Well, at least one of these new people was nice. Tully chirped out a greeting as well; I had to fight from squealing like a fangirl. "You must like Tully, huh?"

Turtwig in general had been my favorite of the Twinleaf Town starters, so I just nodded, a large grin on my face. "Are you three from Twinleaf Town?"

Amelia nodded, "Yep. We just started our journey two weeks ago."

"Together?"

Amelia blushed, "Yeah...my mom wanted Benji to travel with me. Which is okay, since we get along. And Lauren wasn't going anywhere without Benji, of course."

I smiled at her, admiring her ability to put up with Lauren, who seemed to be a handful from first glance.

"And you're from Floaroma, I guess?" Amelia asked, politely curious. "I heard you saying something like that to Lauren."

I nodded, "Correct-o-mundo."

I heard her laugh at that.

"Hey! Hey you!"

Okay, that's just great, "My name is Corrine, dude."

"Don't call me _dude_, you hick!"

I looked at Amelia, shrugged, and then turned to face Lauren. Her face was red with anger, pale fists clenched at her sides. I cocked my head to the side and looked at her questioningly. "Er...what do you want?"

"A battle! For making me look stupid!"

"But I didn't! You came to Floaroma not knowing about the Drifloon on your own - "

"Shut up!" Lauren screeched. I saw Benji wince and put his hands to his ears, his Chimchar doing the same thing. "I assume you have Pokemon."

"Uh...yeah..."

"Go, Terrance!" Instead of putting her Piplup into battle, like I thought she would have, she unhooked a Pokeball from her belt and flung it into the space between us. At her side, Benji was wrinkling his nose in distaste at her rashness, and I could hear Amelia's soft sigh from my side. The ball hit the ground, burst open, and a bright ray of light shown out from it before revealing the Pokemon inside.

I expected something ferocious - like a fiesty Luxio - but what came from the ball was so shocking that I almost dropped my own in shock.

"Doof?"

Terrance was, in fact, a Bidoof.

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><p><em><strong>End Chapter Three.<strong>_


	4. Every Battle Starts Somewhere

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Pokemon._

_Who else is excited for Harry Potter! :D Haha, excuse the outburst. Anyway, thanks so much for your reviews! I am so glad that everyone is enjoying this, and am so overwhelmed by the responses! I've had more fun writing this than I have with writing anything else in a long time. Sooo, here's the new chapter. Hope everyone enjoys!_

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><p><strong>Spotlight<br>****Chapter Four: Every Battle Starts Somewhere**

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><p>Okay, so, to say this was completely expected would be a lie.<p>

For a moment I just stared at the Bidoof; the little beaver looked completely oblivious and unaware as did all Bidoof I had encountered. Well, okay, I've only encountered one in my time, and that was because I tripped over a particularly loopy one on the way to the pond one evening (back during my Drifloon-chasing days). But I digress. I assumed at least, that this must be a trait that Bidoof share. Either that or this was the same Bidoof from so long ago, which I doubted.

Again, I digress.

"Doooooof," Terrance the Bidoof drawled, looking at me with beady black eyes. I felt a smile come across my face.

"Well! Do you have Pokemon or don't you?" I heard Lauren scream, not bothered by the few straggling people gathering around us. Floaroma had always been a small town, not many trainers stopped here, so it was to be expected.

"Yes," I bit out through gritted teeth, though the Bidoof standing in front of me gave me a bit of hope. Maybe I could beat the little guy. Maybe not. I sure hoped it was the former.

"Let's go, Zeke!" I said, throwing the ball out to the middle of the clearing. A crack, a flash, and there my Houndour appeared, grinning, at the small little Bidoof.

Zeke turned his head toward me, looking at me as if asking if this was the real deal. I nodded, giving him a reassuring smile, and then inhaled somewhat shakily.

"Oh, my! What a tiny little Houndour!" Lauren said in a suddenly haughty voice. "It must be only a level three!"

"Oh, my! Who cares!" I bit back, "Zeke, Tackle it!"

I thought he wasn't going to listen to me for the length of time it took him to respond, but suddenly, sure enough, he launched himself at the Bidoof. The beaver-like Pokemon squeaked and was shoved on its side, Zeke growling at it. I grinned at him.

"Terrance," Lauren's voice was shrill and commanding as she watched the Bidoof struggle to get up, "Defense Curl."

The Bidoof curled into a ball, heightening his defensive capabilities.

"Rollout!" she shouted.

"Dodge it, Zeke!"

Zeke jumped as high in the air as he could manage, completely clearing the rolling ball of Bidoof. I sighed with relief. If the Bidoof was at a high enough level to know Rollout, then I didn't know how good of a position we were in.

He landed gracefully on his feet, but I could see that even that was tiring him out. I knew he was at a lower level, but didn't know how it would effect him as he was battling.

"Try tackling it again!" I called out.

Zeke listened, but then he was met head-on with Terrance's Rollout.

"Zeke!" I cried out, watching as my Houndour was flung to the grass. I heard him murmur, stir around a bit, before finally getting up. He looked like he couldn't take much more, though, and that worried me.

The Rollout attack seemed to take out just as much from the Bidoof as it did from Zeke. Terrance was stumbling around, looking about ready to faint. I found that I had clasped my hands together in worry, and quickly pried them from one another, taking a more offensive stance. "Finish it off!"

Zeke threw himself forward, sending the Bidoof flying - I had to admit, for a low level, Zeke certainly knew how to fight. Must have been a result of being such a wild Pokemon when I found him.

And then, to my shock, Terrance the Bidoof fainted.

I felt so elated that I started dancing in place, "Yeah! That's awesome, Zeke! Way to go - "

"Charlotte, Water Sport!"

I didn't have time to react, because the little Piplup had flung herself from the shoulder of her trainer, twirled in the air as if she were some obnoxious ballerina, and shot several jets of water in Zeke's direction.

He didn't have a chance.

Zeke was blasted with the water. Unable to take it, he fell over. Fainted.

"Z...Zeke!" I shouted, racing over to my fallen Pokemon. I didn't even think to return him. I picked him up, cradling him in my arms like I had done just days ago when he was attacked by the Seviper, and rushed to the Pokemon Center. I knew that the local Nurse Joy was probably thinking on calling Pokemon Services on me for Pokemon abuse, but I didn't care. I just had to get him to the Center, and fast.

Lauren scolded me about prize money, so I just threw some at her so she'd shut up.

I wasn't aware of the people following me. The only thing I was aware of was the sinking feeling in my chest and the image of seeing my Houndour's pained face over and over again as he was attacked with his weakness...

"N-Nurse Joy!" I begged frantically, "Please, heal my Houndour!"

Word travels fast in small towns like Floaroma. Because she looked as if she understood I had just lost a battle. My _first _battle.

She told me to return Zeke to his Pokeball, which I did, and then took him to the healing machine in the back.

I just stood in front of the desk, wringing my hands in my nervousness. I hadn't noticed that I had tears in my eyes until now. I felt like such a bad trainer, allowing him to be hurt like that. Certainly there could have been something I could have done. Jumped in front of the spray of water, perhaps. I should have done that. Awful, awful trainer.

I forced the tears from my eyes. I hated crying. Didn't do it often. In fact, now was the first time I'd teared up in a while. I growled at myself.

"The first loss is always the hardest."

I turned around to find Amelia staring at me with kind eyes, "I've lost more times than I can count. Lauren makes sure of that."

"Where is the lady of the hour, anyway?"

"Outside. Bragging to Benji. She likes to appear tough."

"Psh," I scoffed, running a hand through my hair. "There was no _appearing_. Even her _Bidoof _was a handful for Zeke and me."

"They're well trained," Amelia said, sitting down and motioning for me to do the same, "We've been training for two weeks, remember. Even then, Lauren has this obsession with being the best. Anyway, you've just gone out today, so don't be too down about it."

"How did you - "

"I figured when I saw you," she said, bringing Tully onto her lap. "New trainers have that _look _to them."

"What look?"

"As if they don't have a clue."

"Hey!"

"Just joking, Corrine." She smiled at me, stroking Tully's shell absentmindedly. "After all, I had that look just two weeks ago."

I laughed lightly, wanting to touch Tully's cute little head, but not wanting to risk injury for once. After our defeat, I thought that the both Zeke and I had too many injuries between us. Definitely starting out with bad luck. I groaned and leaned back in the surprisingly soft chairs of the Center, folded my hands behind my head, and then heaved a great sigh.

"Does it get easier?" I asked her. She looked puzzled for a moment before I elaborated, "Seeing your Pokemon like that?"

"That was your first time...it must have been a shock for you." Amelia said gently, "But soon the shock wears off. I still worry about Tully and Zep, but...we'll get stronger..." She stared at me, "Oh, I must be no help for you..."

"No, no, it's fine," I replied, "It makes sense to me, Amelia."

She gave me an encouraging smile. I added, curiously, "Who's Zep?"

Amelia smiled brightly then, "My Starly."

I brightened at that, "Awesome!"

Suddenly, two things happened at once. The doors swung open, and the kid named Benji, said, "There you are!" while Nurse Joy popped up from behind the counter, chiming, "Your Houndour is ready, Corrine!"

I hurried up to the desk, taking the Pokeball in my hands and fervently thanked Nurse Joy. She just smiled at me, almost like a mother would, and said, "Glad to see the Houndour agreed to be your parter - have you named him?"

Taken aback by her interest, I ended up blurting out, "Zeke."

She continued smiling, and wished me good luck. I grinned at her and turned to leave.

And, again, ran smack into a girl and her Piplup.

"Can you at least learn how to carry yourself?" Lauren snarled at me, "I know I just kicked the snot out of you in battling, but _seriously_."

I hadn't fallen this time, so that was good - it most likely would have resulted in me getting a concussion from falling back against the desk. I shrugged and said, "I know perfectly well how to carry myself, thank you."

And as I walked away, I tripped over a chair leg.

Amelia was there to help me up. I heard Lauren's haughty laughter and felt my hands clench around my Pokeball. I knew it was foolish, but I wished with everything I had that I could beat this chick one day. Beat everyone one day. I would make sure of it.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, "laugh it up."

"Oh, I will."

I felt my eyes narrow and tried to stride out of the door. I hadn't noticed that I had been followed by the two siblings until I heard their footsteps on the grass behind me. I spun around and saw them, looking rather sheepish.

"S-Sorry about her," the boy named Benji said. "Er...she's kind of lively."

"'s okay." I shrugged. His Chimchar was moving from shoulder to shoulder, looking quite interested.

"I'm Benji," he formally introduced himself before gesturing to the Chimchar, "and this is Lupin."

"Charrr!" Lupin hooted, waving at me. I waved back with what I know must have been a goofy grin on my face.

"Corrine." I told him in response, "Nice to meet you."

"Ya know," Amelia looked to be contemplating something, "you can totally travel with us if you want to."

I smiled at her, "Uh, I'm not so sure that would be good for the..._chemistry _of your group."

Then, Lauren decided to make her presence known. She strode out of the Pokemon Center, placing one of her Pokeballs back onto her belt - I'm guessing she had healed her Bidoof - and her Piplup was chirping brightly in her ear. To my surprise, she was giving it a slight smile, but when she saw that I was still with her group, she narrowed her eyes and stopped dead in her tracks.

"She's still here?"

"Yeah." Amelia spoke up, as if her question was completely stupid.

"Right." Lauren said, running a hand through her dark hair. She looked toward the direction of Valley Windworks, before setting off in that direction.

"Er - the Drifloon don't come until Friday!"

"And how do I know you're not lying!"

I sighed, feeling deflated, and turned on my heel in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?" I heard Benji say.

I turned around to find the identical-looking Benji and Amelia staring at me. "Uh...I was leaving you two alone..."

"Without saying goodbye?"

"Oh. Right." I scratched the back of my head sheepishly, "Um, see you later, then."

"Wait!" Amelia shot forward, "I might need a break from these crazy people sooner or later. Here," she handed me a piece of paper with a number scribbled on it, "you have a cell right?"

"Um. Cell phone?"

I heard Benji snicker, and I sighed. Right. All the happenings today must have rattled my brain. I ran a hand through my hair and then took the paper from Amelia. She smiled at me, and I confirmed, "Yeah. I have a cell phone."

"Where are you going to go?"

I looked over at Benji, "Oreburgh."

"Oh," he said, sounding slightly interested. "We just came from here. Got our badges."

"Ah..." I replied, blinking. Okay. So I really needed to get badges soon. It seemed very imperative that I do that.

"It's a rock-type gym, so you might want to add another Pokemon to your team," Benji said, looking at my belt. "Fire types don't do well against rock." Lupin cooed in agreement.

I glared at him, feeling suddenly aggravated by him even though he seemed good-natured in his attempt to help me out a bit. I held my tongue as best I could, however, and said, "I figured."

"So, yeah," Amelia continued, sensing the route this might be taking. "If you ever want company feel free to call. I don't think it'll be too much trouble to desert Lauren and big bro. Lauren would probably prefer it."

I saw Benji turn a lovely shade of red that caused me to laugh, dispelling the tension from earlier.

"Right. Of course!" I said cheerfully, though I felt anything but that. "Sure, if it won't bother you."

Amelia had a look on her face that told me she'd prefer it. I wasn't surprised. I wouldn't want to travel with Lauren either, considering that I saw their temperments were on two different extremes.

"Well, we'd better go catch up with Lauren," Amelia said grudgingly, "I'll see you around!"

"Yeah, see you two!"

They turned in the direction of Valley Windworks. I watched them go, hesitant for a moment before walking in a completely different direction from the way Oreburgh was supposed to be. I walked through town, through the fragrant array of flowers that gave my town its name. I kept walking, unaware of what possessed me, and I ended up walking through the trail through the trees at the northern edge of town. It only took a few minutes, but I arrived at Floaroma Meadow.

The air was crisp and fresh, and I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes and trying to escape for just a moment. It was deserted, not a person in sight. Peaceful.

I made my way through the soft grass and the budding flowers, swaying in the slight breeze. Nostalgia reeled me in, bringing me back to my childhood once again. Funny, how that happens. I remembered running around this meadow, playing with Alec when we were kids, bothering Caterpie. That was before my parents needed me to help out with the business and all. Back when I hadn't a care in the world.

I found myself walking to the edge of the meadow, where a slight drop off occured. I lowered myself to the ground, dangling my legs along the side of the small, dirt-ridden cliff, and looked out at the sun, bright and brilliant in the sky. It was so strange, that such a short time ago, I had left my house, lost my first battle, and made a friend.

And, quite possibly, I have lost what little trust my starter had in me.

Completely uprooted by that thought, I unhooked Zeke's Pokeball from my belt and tossed it to the ground beside me. He appeared, looking healthy and content, but not overtly pleased. He barked at me once, looking around for any Pokemon to battle, but I shook my head. He sat down, alert, and gazing over the edge of the drop off.

"Are you okay?"

Zeke looked at me with wondering eyes - I swear I heard him scoff - and laid down, pillowing his head with his paws.

I took that as a _no_.

"I'm sorry." I told him. And I meant it. I had felt so bad for letting Zeke get taken out by that water attack. Lauren and Charlotte were a team to be reckoned with, and I hated to admit that. Especially now.

Zeke turned his head toward me, and I could see that he was slightly shocked by my admission. He kept his eyes on me, looking like he was wondering what I was going to say next.

"We'll get stronger," I told him, feeling a sudden burst of confidence swell within me. "We will - hey! You _did _beat that Bidoof today! Showed him what was what, didn't you, Zeke!"

Zeke kept the shocked look on his face, but then I saw a look of satisfaction cross his expressive features, "_Dour_."

I felt like that probably translated into, "You know it."

I reached over and scratched Zeke behind the ears. He tensed for a moment as my fingers touched his fur, but he relaxed somewhat. I could see why he'd be wary. My fingers smoothed over the skull cap on his head before I moved down to pat his neck with a kind of finality.

"Our first challenge is a rock-type gym," I admitted. I saw him look at me with skeptical eyes. Pokemon were smart, of course, they figured their weaknesses and compensated for them in the wild, but sending my starter into a gym filled with Pokemon that catered to his weakness was overtly cruel. I watched as his eyes darkened, as if he thought I was headed down the road that involved him getting the crap beaten out of him again. I shook my head, anticipating it.

"Dour, Houn-_dour_."

"So, I figure, that we need to get another teammate."

As much as I'd love to have been able to take down the Oreburgh Gym Leader with just Zeke and nothing else, I knew that was wishful thinking. Gym leaders were very different from regular trainers.

Zeke looked like he understood, but still, he nudged me with his skull cap. "Houn..."

I smiled at him reassuringly, thinking I knew where that was going, "Well, duh, I'm still going to train you. You're my _starter_. We're both in this for the long hall, bud."

Zeke nipped at my arm, drawing only the faintest amount of blood, as if to tell me never to call him 'bud' again.

I didn't yelp at the pain like I thought I would, only pressed my fingers to stem the little flow of blood, and looked out at the horizon. A flock of Starly were darting across the sky, lead by a massive Staraptor. I smiled.

Sitting here by Zeke, I felt a curl of anticipation. For the day to end, to get started with the tough training of my starter, for the oncoming Gym challenge I was sure to face, and for the anticipation of the fact that I might soon own a new Pokemon.

The problem was, _which one_?

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><p><em><strong>End Chapter Four.<strong>_


	5. And Search We Will

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Pokemon._

_Thanks so much for your reviews! I really appreciate getting new readers, and everything. It's really awesome to know that people are enjoying this little fic of mine. I really don't have much else to say, so I hope that y'all enjoy this new chapter!_

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><p><strong>Spotlight<br>****Chapter Five: And Search We Will**

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><p>I ended up falling asleep on that ledge. It was just so peaceful and the climate was just so cool that somehow my worries had all melted away and I had ended up dozing. Said doze turned into an outright venture into dreamland - in which I tried to get Zeke to go campaigning for a new teammate, complete with political slogan and cheesiness - and it only ended when something unusual and crawling tickled my nose.<p>

I tried to swat whatever it was away, thinking nothing of it, until my hand came into contact with something very large.

My eyes flashed open and I saw that I was face-to-face with a Wurmple.

Startled, I shot up, knocking the little worm to the ground beside me, "Gah!"

Zeke was immediately at the alert before calming down when he saw it was a little worm Pokemon. I almost heard him chuckle - yeah, he probably thought his trainer was a wimp. Lovely.

The worm scampered off into the shade of a tree. A golden-looking tree. I blinked, gaining comprehension.

"That's it!" My sudden outburst seemed to startle Zeke, and he looked at me as if contemplating the many ways he could kill me in my sleep next time. I had slept for a long time, surprisingly, without interruption. The morning light was just now starting to appear, casting a faint glow over everything, even the strange golden tree that I had just a few bits of information about. Said information was now barrelling me over the head as if I'd been blind to it.

"Dour," Zeke deadpanned, not seeing the big deal.

I shot up, almost falling over again because of not moving in so long, and grabbed my bag. I reached into the backpack and rummaged about, looking for one of the small jars that I always carried with me. After a while, I finally found it.

"Here!" I exclaimed, turning over to Zeke, who was now standing at my heels. He looked hard-pressed to bite me, but I was surprised - and grateful - that he didn't. I drew out the item I had been looking for and showed it to him. The small jar gleamed in the oncoming dawn, the liquid inside it was thick and was just a little bit lighter in color than the golden tree. "Honey!"

Zeke did clamp down on my ankle that time. I yelped at the unexpected pain, but then corrected myself, "No! _This_," I wagged the jar in his face, "is honey. I wasn't calling you that!"

Zeke huffed slightly, looking at me as if slightly sorry - but only slightly. Anything less would be a great misdeed for him. I grinned down at him, "You know what this does?"

He barked, and I heard the tone underlying it.

"Ah, well, see? The golden tree there is special." I told him, smiling, "You rub honey on it, and then Pokemon will come running! Towards us, that is."

He blinked at me, as if so uninterested that it hurt him.

"Alright, well, we can try it out," I said, still excited by this idea no matter how much my Houndour didn't seem to care. I walked over to the tree, struggling to open the lid of the jar as I did so, and when I finally got it open a few drops of honey splattered on my clothes. The tree was larger than I thought it was, now that I was up close to it. The giant tree was larger than any other one in the meadow, almost like a beacon. Like it was screaming, _"Hey! There's a crapload of Pokemon here!"_

"Okay, then," I said, reaching into the jar and smearing my fingers with honey. I spread it out on the trunk of the tree. I heard Zeke approach, his soft footfalls barely audible on the grass behind me.

But then he barked, and I realized the sound was too far away to be coming from the figure behind me.

I turned around, startled, and was pulled to the ground by a searching, clawed, blue hand.

Yeah, I screamed.

"Cr-_oss_," the Pokemon said, looking down at me with large, yellow eyes as it stuck my hand into its mouth.

A Heracross was treating me as if I was dinner.

I realized, albeit belatedly, that it was only interested in the honey and that I was flailing and screaming for no reason. It actually took the jar from my hand and dumped the rest of those contents into its mouth before going back to my hand and licking the rest of the honey residue off of my fingers. Zeke had decided to dart forward at this point, obviously having enjoyed watching me get my just-desserts (for what, I wasn't sure, and I gleefully ignored the pun on my current situation). His eyes were alight with amusement.

"Zeke!" I said, looking at him as if hoping that his doglike protective instincts would kick in sometime soon.

They didn't.

Probably because the Heracross wasn't really attacking me. He was just enjoying a meal, and the Houndour seemed to know that. He snickered lightly until something landed with a _thud _on the other side of me, not bothering the Heracross in the slightest, but clearly ruffling Zeke's hackles. I couldn't see what it was, but my Pokemon's reaction was enough.

"Dour! _Dour_!"

Okay, now that was unusually frantic sounding for my little Houndour.

I craned my head to where the sound came from, only to see two large green feet, ending with white claws, standing angled with my head. Oh, those feet looked unfortunately familiar.

"Scyther! Scy!"

Oh.

Oh, _no_.

Zeke was barking, a staccato of desperate sounds, and I felt the Scyther's foot come down on my other hand, which was lying uselessly in the grass beside me. I winced, but thankfully I didn't hear anything break.

"Hera?"

"_Ther_! Scy!"

At this point, I could only hope that they weren't debating on who got the scrawny human for lunch.

The Heracross offered the now empty jar of honey to the Scyther, and I heard a strange sound as the glass was slapped from the clawed hand of the nicer Pokemon. The Scyther hissed at the Heracross, and I saw the jar land a few feet away. In two cleanly sliced pieces.

I repeat - oh, _no_.

At this point, Zeke jumped into action. Literally. He leaped off of the ground in a surprisingly high arc, and landed on - I supposed - the Scyther. The Scyther let out a strange sounding wail and I heard the familiar sound of Zeke's teeth sinking through the hard outer skeleton of the bug-type.

"Zeke? Zeke!" I struggled to get up from where I was currently pinned by the Heracross. He finished off the honey from my fingers and went to help the fight. I rose from my defeated position and looked to see my Houndour clamped down, hanging onto a very old, scarred Scyther.

Oh, this was _bad_.

Zeke was growling and snarling like a Pokemon possessed. I idly thought of a horror movie I had watched when I was little - something about an Arcanine that had developed rabies and went on a killing spree.

Obviously Zeke wasn't strong enough to take on this old and weathered Scyther, but he was trying. I had to give him that.

Thinking that he had mangled the Scyther enough, Zeke jumped down and gracefully landed beside me, growling all the while. The Heracross looked at the Scyther concernedly, and I realized that they were friends.

"Cross! Hera-cross!" the Heracross said indignantly, turning on us. Apparently, he had all but forgotten the fact that I had just been his unwilling honey provider. And the Heracross looked...well, _cross_.

I gulped, "Zeke..."

"Houndour!" Zeke shouted, shooting flames out of his mouth and at the two bug-type Pokemon. I stood there, stunned, as the Ember attack took shape and beat crazedly against everything.

Though the flames certainly bothered them, it didn't cause them to faint. If anything, it caused them to become even more irate. I didn't notice this, only looked at Zeke and cried, "When did you learn Ember!"

Zeke looked smugly at me and grinned, "Hou."

I almost wanted to cry with frustration and happiness.

Of course, that was when the Scyther decided to charge us.

Zeke charged back, while I wanted to charge in the completely opposite direction.

"O-Okay, Tackle it!"

Zeke rammed his body against the weathered old Scyther, who didn't even look phased.

Well, _crap_.

"Ember!"

The Ember once again ripped from Zeke's throat, charring the space around him and making it so the bug-type Pokemon hated us, I was sure. I wasn't too fond of them at the moment, either. But I did feel a certain sense of pride that Zeke had learned a new attack, though that was quickly squashed by how much he could use that to injure me now.

The whole thing was practically a double battle, now that the Heracross had crossed on over to the dark side. Both bug-types were advancing on us, and it was all I could do not to call Zeke back and make a run for it. But he kept them off pretty nicely with his Ember, and I cheered him along. He looked tired after a while, though, tongue lolling out between his attacks. I looked concernedly at my partner, thinking that I could take him and run now - since the bugs were far from being squashed like I so wanted them to be.

And, naturally, that was when everything went to hell.

Combee.

Lots and lots of Combee poured out of the golden tree, their usually happy faces looking ready to kill.

And where there's Combee, there's Vespiquen.

As soon as the regal bee-like Pokemon emerged from the very top of the smoldering tree, I bent down, grasped my arms around Zeke's middle - narrowly avoiding the Scyther's outstretched "arms" as I did so - and high-tailed it out of there.

"This is ridiculous!" I screamed, the buzzing reaching an all-time high as I darted towards the exit, the parting of the trees that would take me back to Floaroma Town and away from these crazy, crazy bug Pokemon. "Seriously!"

Zeke barked at me and then clamped his teeth down on my arm as if to get me to shut up. His mouth was scorching from all the Ember attacks he'd used, and so I was pretty certain I was going to have a nasty burn there. But that, of course, was the least of my worries.

I ran and ran until I thought my legs would give out from the sheer exhaustion of it all. My bag thudded heavily against my back as I ran. At least I still had it.

Angry buzzing, and the sounds of the Scyther and Heracross were the only things I could hear, other than my Houndour's barks and irritated complaints. I kept running, though, thinking of nothing except getting out of there.

Finally - _finally _- I saw it. The exit. I flung myself through the edge of the trees and into the softly flowered ground of Floaroma Town. Panting, scared, and hoping that the bugs wouldn't venture outside of their territory to enact their revenge on me, I stared at the space in the trees from which I hade flung myself.

They didn't come after me, thankfully enough.

I sat up, still panting, sweaty from exhertion. Zeke was still in my arms. Having dislodged his teeth from my arm, he looked up at me with a slight sense of amusement.

"It's not funny!" I screeched.

"Dour, dour, dour," he replied in an approximation of a dark chuckle.

I heaved a great sigh, and marched over to the Pokemon Center, reveling in how dumb I was. Seriously. The second day of my journey and I hadn't even gotten out of my hometown.

Zeke was still chuckling as I brought him to Nurse Joy. She smiled at me a bit pityingly and took the snickering Houndour from my grasp. I walked over to the set of chairs and slumped down in one, groaning in a put-out manner.

I found myself closing my eyes just as Nurse Joy emerged from behind the counter, Zeke in her arms.

"He's gotten a good deal stronger," she chirped brightly. "You must have been training."

"You can say that." Of course, I wasn't sure if being nearly mauled by a pack of wild bug Pokemon constituted training.

"I've healed him," she said, still smiling, "but he has a nasty Combee sting on his shoulder here." She pointed to a bandaged area on his left shoulder. "You'll need to keep it wrapped for at least a week, change the bandages once a day, and put this ointment on it."

I blinked as she handed me a tube of some kind of cream and a massive roll of bandages.

"You couldn't heal it with the machine?" I asked, curious.

Nurse Joy gave me a kind look and shook her head, "Some wounds take more time to heal than others. More intense wounds take longer to heal. Naturally, broken bones and some cases of Combee stings take a bit of help moving the healing process along."

"Ah," I replied, not sure what else to say.

Nurse Joy placed the Houndour on the ground beside me, and he looked up at me, grinning. I figured he was proud at having been called "stronger" by the nurse.

"Have you ran into some trouble?" Nurse Joy asked, "Normally trainers _leave_ their hometown on their journey."

I scrunched up my nose, "Er, well, we've encountered some...setbacks."

"Indeed."

The voice that had interrupted our conversation was Lauren, staring at me from the bottom of the stairs that led up to the trainer's quarters, dressed in her pajamas. I had forgotten how early it still was. What a great way to start the day - a coup with a flock of bug Pokemon and then meeting your least favorite person all in the course of about an hour.

"Find any Drifloon?" I asked sarcastically.

"_No_," she bit back.

"Drifloon only appear on Fridays." Nurse Joy chimed. I gave Lauren a pointed look, and she growled at me.

Shaking my head and not wanting to spend any more time in Floaroma Town, I smiled at Nurse Joy and thanked her, walking toward the exit and ignoring Lauren's calls of, "Hey, trained your wimpy Houndour enough? Where's your _other _Pokemon?"

"Shut up," I sing-songed, closing the door behind me after I had calmed Zeke's growls of insult.

I inhaled, smelling the sweet scent of Floaroma as it wafted around me. Hopefully this would be the last time I'd be here for a while. Not that I hated the town itself, but because I needed to leave more than anything.

Zeke nipped at my ankles, as if to get me going. I bent down and scratched behind his ears. Again, he tensed when I first touched him, but he relaxed soon enough.

"Yeah, I think it's time for us to get going."

So, bright and early on that morning, we set out.

We started along down the path, battling wild Pokemon as we went. Thankfully, these were weaker than those trained. Most of them were either grass- or bug-type Pokemon, with the occassional Starly or Bidoof thrown in. I immediately had a flashback to my disastrous first trainer battle and thought of Terrance every time I saw one of the little beavers.

Surely, I could have caught a Pokemon in any one of those fights, but I just had training Zeke on my mind at that time. He grew a few levels, which made me feel a lot better, as well as upped Zeke's mood. We battled a few trainers on the way, and Zeke won a few battles, which was great - even though most still had either a Bidoof, Starly, or the rarer Shinx.

The day passed with a sense of quiet accomplisment. I finally felt like I was doing something, rather than just sitting around and waiting for Pokemon to find me - or attack me, as they were prone to doing. With each step, Jubilife City came closer. I was grateful I chose the path that didn't lead to Eterna Forest. More bugs, more grass, more problems, as far as I could tell, though we'd have to brave it through there eventually. From there, we'd just follow the signs. Maybe those wouldn't be so confusing that I couldn't follow them.

We were in what I had decided was our last battle of the day, against a wild Lotad, when Zeke turned his head toward me. "Dour," he barked meaningfully, nudging his head in the small Pokemon's direction.

"Tad..." the Lotad lazily chirped.

Blinking, I asked, "What is it?"

Zeke sighed, exasperated at my cluelessness, and again nudged his head curiously in the Lotad's direction before nudging in the general vicinity of the Pokeballs strapped to my belt.

"Oh," I said, looking at him, comprehension finally dawning. "You want me to catch him?"

Zeke shrugged, as if it didn't matter to him.

"Er - well," I didn't really want a Lotad. Sure, they were cute, but...it just didn't seem right for me. "I don't think so - "

Zeke tackled the Lotad, knocking the small thing out immediately, and again I blinked in confusion. Well, I didn't even have to order that one.

The defeated Pokemon stumbled back into the water's edge near us. I watched it go, not feeling an urge whatsoever to catch it.

Zeke bounded back up to me, looking extremely proud of himself. He looked tired, and I told myself that we needed to go camp. My stomach was rumbling, and he looked hungry as well. The trek to Jubilife wasn't a long one from Floaroma, but it had taken us the whole day to get at least halfway. I saw a clearing amongst a few trees and decided to camp there.

I thought to myself that it was okay that I didn't catch a Pokemon right off. Frankly, I wasn't really bothered with it. I had Zeke, and he was getting stronger by the day. Surely, I had to get another one as soon as I got closer to my upcoming gym battle, but at the moment I was so tired I couldn't even think of that. The only thing I could focus on was my rumbling stomach and Zeke's exhausted presence beside me.

However, I would soon regret that.

The clearing of trees was just within sight. I had already started to take off my pack and unhitch the sleeping bag from its tight roll atop it when I heard the sound.

"Ho! Hello, young trainer! Not tucking in so soon, are you?" The booming, enthusiastic voice seemed out of place when I was so, so tired. "Let us have a battle, shall we?"

I looked over at Zeke who, despite his tiredness, was stubbornly staring at the challenger. He looked ready to go, and I figured that I could at least try to get in one more battle before I slept. The sky was turning a pretty red with the setting sun, and I wanted so badly to sleep. "You up for it?"

I needn't have asked. Zeke lept forward and growled in response.

"Interesting choice!" he said. I just now took in his appearance, which should have been a red light of what type he was fond of. He was young, but still older than me - at least twenty - with hiking gear covering every inch of his person. A light patch of stubble covered his face, as if he hadn't shaved that morning, and his hair was a rough, unkempt dirty-blonde, tied back into a low ponytail. Despite this, however, my tired mind assumed he would be another one of those trainers with just a Bidoof or maybe even a Shinx.

I was thinking of how best to approach the situation when he called out his Pokemon.

A ground-type.

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><p><em><strong>End Chapter Five.<strong>_


	6. Foundation Reduced to Rubble

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Pokemon._

_Thanks so much for your reviews! I really appreciate them all. I had this chapter done for a bit, but I wanted to wait before posting. Then, I figured why not? It wasn't hurting anything to update a tad early haha. Anyway, thanks so much for your reviews. I really appreciate them. It always helps the writing to have people who care what happens haha. Anyway, here's the latest chapter! _

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><p><strong>Spotlight<br>****Chapter Six: Foundation Reduced to Rubble**

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><p>The Graveller appeared in a flash of white.<p>

"Alright, Sheila!"

Large and intimidating, Sheila looked at Zeke with black eyes and a not-so friendly expression. I immediately felt bad for him. But now, once the battle was started, I couldn't stop it. The huge rock- and ground-type Pokemon seemed almost out of place here, where the strongest things were Shinx and other unevolved Pokemon. I stared, dumbfounded, at the Graveller and tried to make sense of it. It was almost like someone had slapped me awake.

Zeke was dangerously weak against this type.

He knew it, too, but we had no choice. We had been challenged and we couldn't forfeit or anything, unless we wanted to lose our money. Either way, we were screwed.

"Zeke, try an Ember!"

Zeke chanced a look back at me, as if he thought I was the most special kind of stupid, and then shot out several fireballs from his mouth. They connected with the Graveller, only seeming to annoy her.

"Rollout, Sheila!"

Sheila pulled all of her arms in toward herself and launched her bumpy, rocky body towards Zeke. I shouted, "Dodge it!"

He did, but barely. He was already tired from his numerous battles. And I hadn't given him a Potion in a good while, since he didn't seem to be taking hits, though he was tired nonetheless. I cursed at myself.

"Let's see... Tackle, Zeke!"

Zeke hurled himself forward, only serving to daze himself as he connected with the impossible rock.

_Stupid move. Stupid, stupid. _I berated myself as I saw Zeke sway.

"Ah, poor thing," the trainer said in a drawling voice. "Sheila, Earthquake!"

And boy, did Sheila Earthquake.

The ground shook beneath my feet, shuddering and rolling underneath me. Zeke was knocked out before the ground stopped moving, and I was thrown onto my stomach, trying desperately to grasp onto something, but only coming up with twigs. The ground came to a stop and I moved forward and fell on top of Zeke, holding him to my body and staring at his closed eyes. His breathing was even, but he looked so exhausted that it hurt to even look at him. "Gosh, Zeke."

I heard Sheila being recalled by her trainer, and he was beside me in an instant.

"Newbie, huh?"

I stared up at the scruffy man, noting how wiry his frame was. His eyes, a fierce green, steadily held my gaze. I managed a nod, trying not to look too choked up at the sight of my only Pokemon being so helpless. I had been so stupid. Perhaps if I hadn't been so lazy as to not catch that Lotad when I had the chance, maybe I would have won.

But no, Pokemon were more than type compatabilities. I would still have lost because that Lotad wouldn't have been trained at all. I hugged Zeke closer to me.

"Here," the man said, holding out a small device and pressing it against Zeke's mouth, forcing him to swallow. He was awake, and looked healthier than he had just a few minutes ago. "A Revive. Right expensive, they are, but helpful little things."

"Are you okay?" I asked, and Zeke nipped at my fingers in response, which I took as a _yes_.

The scruffy man held out a hand to help me up. I smiled at him, but didn't take it, hefting myself to my own feet.

"I'm Jared," he introduced himself.

"Corrine." I told him, not wanting to let my Houndour out of my arms, even when he started wiggling. His protests were feeble though, and I realized that we needed some food in our system desperately.

"That's your only Pokemon, huh?" he mused. "I didn't even get to test out Ferdinand."

"Ferdinand?"

"My new Steelix," he grinned toothily. "Just bought a Steel Coat down in Canalave City to evolve him."

"Ah," I said, fighting a shudder. Just imagining Zeke up against some gigantic Steelix was enough to give me nightmares.

"Cost a pretty penny, too, but hey, it's all good." He seemed to be talking to himself more than to me. "I just had to trade him with some kid for a bit to get it to work."

"Trade?"

"Yeah, trade evolution. Never heard of it?"

"Er, well, I guess - "

"Which brings me to this," he said, running his fingers along the Pokeball in his hand. "Would you like to help me out with Sheila, here?"

"How - "

"She's been wanting to evolve for a while," he continued. "I've just never found a trainer that would be willing to trade - "

"You can't have Zeke!" I shouted, my voice higher than I liked.

"You silly girl," he smiled. "I would trade back. The ownership of the Pokemon wouldn't change if we did it that way, ya know."

"Trade back?"

Jared nodded, "Yeah. So Sheila can evolve. Because, you know, Graveller evolve when traded. Just like loads of other Pokemon." He moved his arms as he explained, "Of course, we'd have to go to a Pokemon Center for it to work. We can't just do it willy-nilly here."

Not that I would have. I didn't know Jared at all. Sure, he seemed cordial and polite, if a bit talkative, but I didn't know if he was really a thief in disguise.

"Well, I was headed for Jubilife..."

"Me too!" Jared said, grinning brightly. For such a unkempt person, he sure had straight teeth. "Would you mind?"

Blinking, I shrugged, "I guess. Zeke, do you - "

He shrugged as well, causing Jared to erupt in a fit of laughter.

"Right, then! Wow, this means so much. Thank you!" He put a thin hand on my shoulder, his grin so wide that I thought it would split his face in two.

"Okay, well, we were just about to set up camp..."

"Do you mind if we camp with you?" Jared suggested with about the subtleness of a Hippowdon.

"Sure, I guess," I told him, not really worried. Suddenly he seemed too flighty to be a thief.

"Right, right!" he exclaimed, releasing all of his Pokemon. I almost laughed at the randomness of it all.

"Yes, Jared, you can certainly release your Pokemon all over the campsite."

He grinned, turning toward me, and I could clearly see a dangling golden earring in one of his ears. "There's room, still."

I blinked at him, "Yeah. About enough for a Cherubi."

Jared laughed at my failed attempt at wit, and then moved over. "This is my team."

He had a full team of six, and introduced me to each one. Apparently, he wasn't the stereotypical hiker at all. Of course, there were Ferdinand and Sheila, but there were also Mitchell the Camerupt, Bree the Vileplume, Nelly the Pelipper, and a curiously unevolved Abra named Theo.

_"You aren't harrassing another girl, are you?" _

I jolted, shocked, and stared at the Abra as he loped over to his trainer. I had heard the Pokemon's voice _in my head_.

"No, I never harrass girls unless they want to be," he chided. "Only joking, Corrine - hey, what's wrong?"

He must have seen my face, drained of color, and noted that I was slightly freaked out. "Oh, it's because you heard Theo, isn't it?"

I nodded.

"Well, he's a psychic-type, of course!" he exclaimed, as if that solved all problems. "Psychic Pokemon have that ability."

I stared blankly at them and felt Zeke curl up around my ankles as I sat down slowly. Theo looked at me - or at least I think he did. Can never tell with Abra - and said, _"I can not speak this way, if that would be better." _And then he broke off into a broken chorus of, "A-bra. Abra, ab."

"Er, no, that's fine. I'm just...not used to it."

_"Newbie, aren't you?"_

I flushed, looking away then, "Well, you are too, obviously."

_"And how do you figure that?" _the Abra spoke, his voice interested and wry.

"Well, you're...not...evolved." I said, and even then I knew my argument held no weight.

Jared laughed at that jovially. Theo looked amused as well, "Theo here is my starter, and the strongest of my team. He's not evolved because he doesn't want to be." He pointed to a clear blue stone on a small silver chain strung around the Abra's neck. "Everstone. Stops evolution."

"Wow..." I said, unable to keep the awe out of my voice.

"He'll evolve when he wants to," Jared said, smiling down at his partner, who had taken up residence on his left side. "Until then, he'll wear this."

"Ah, right," I said, intrigued despite myself.

"Are you hungry?" Jared asked cordially as his Steelix curled around the small campsite, making a ring around all of us. "We could make a fire and cook some of our rations."

My stomach growled in response.

"I'll take that as a yes." He smiled at me and started working.

The fire was lit, everything put away. I unrolled my sleeping bag for the first time since I started my journey and I did the same for Jared's. He looked at me and smiled his appreciation while he got out everything to cook. I started to pull out odds and ends of food, but he stopped me with a look, "Nope. None of that. You've already done enough for us - oh, I almost forgot! Sheila! Guess what?"

"Grav?"

"Tomorrow, you're going to be a gorgeous Golem! All because of Corrine over here!"

"Graveller! Gra!" Sheila looked positively delighted and tumbled over to me at what I thought was a run. I tensed up, feeling Zeke do the same at my feet. She wrapped all of her arms around me in a bone-crushing hug so that I couldn't breathe.

"J-J..._Jared_," I rasped. He looked alarmed and quickly called off Sheila.

I gasped for air as soon as I was plopped rather unceremoniously onto the ground next to Zeke once again, who looked laughably relieved. Shaking my head and hiding a wince as I felt my mid-section, I looked over to Zeke, who had started up some kind of conversation with the Pelipper, who sloshed water around his feet out of her large mouth as she talked. Zeke darted back to avoid some of it, but it still splashed his feet. He looked down in distaste.

Nelly laughed; Zeke growled.

_"Interesting partner you have there," _the Abra observed. _"Is Zeke your only one?"_

Slightly shocked that he knew Zeke's name, I spluttered, "Uh, yeah."

_"He says he told you that you should've caught that Lotad before. You two have been looking for a Pokemon all day and you have yet to even throw a ball."_

I flushed and nudged Zeke with my foot, "That's so not cool, Zeke."

He shrugged.

"I'm going to get us a teammate, trust me," I told him, and he snorted. I don't think he liked losing so recently, despite the wins we had accumulated through the day.

"Dour, dour," he said in a sarcastic manner, as if challenging me.

"Fine! Tomorrow we'll catch the greatest teammate ever!"

"_Houn_."

Theo chuckled, _"He says that's what you said you two were doing today."_

Zeke shot him a look.

"W-Well, I apologize!"

Zeke smirked, "Dour. Houn-dour."

"You two are funny," Jared spoke up from next to the fire. I hadn't even noticed he used his Camerupt to light one. He was roasting several hot dogs by sticking them on sticks and then jamming those sticks in the dirt next to the fire. Some cooking styles never grow old - I'll admit, I had no idea how Zeke and I were going to eat until Jared came along.

"Thanks." I said darkly.

Zeke snickered.

Theo walked over and used what I thought was a Psychic attack to levitate the hot dogs, still attached to their sticks, and disperse them to the various Pokemon as well as Jared and I. I took mine, not caring enough to let it cool off before biting into it. The outside was burnt, just how I liked it.

The fire was nice, crackling and wavering in the darkness that now surrounded us. Ferdinand seemed to be providing a kind of barrier of sorts, and when I looked towards his massive head to ask permission to lean back against him, he only nodded as if he knew what I was going to say before it was out of my mouth. I leaned back after sliding into the sleeping bag, while Zeke made his own bed just a ways from me, still gnawing at his hot dog. I noticed that he had never really slept close to me, not like Jared and his Pokemon were so used to. It made me long for a time when our relationship would be that strong.

I just watched the flames. Watched as they moved and danced, illuminating Jared's face as he bit into his own hot dog, nodding at something that I was unaware of. I guessed that Theo's telepathy was subjective and he was speaking to just Jared.

My eyes were heavy. I now felt the tiredness in every pore of my body. I stared over at Zeke, whose face was relaxed, his eyes closed, his black fur lit up by the light of the fire. Poor guy...already asleep. I told myself as soon as I helped Jared evolve Sheila, I would catch a Pokemon. For real, this time. My procrastination had already cost us a battle and some money. And pride. Can't forget pride.

I tried to stay awake, really, I did. However, despite my best tries, my eyes slid closed like steel shutters, blocking me off from the world.

The last things I heard before I was carried away to unconsciousness were Jared's kind laugh and the popping of the fire in front of me.

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><p><em><strong>End Chapter Six.<strong>_


	7. Just Wandering Through

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Pokemon._

_Thanks so much for your reviews! I really appreciate all the kind words and nice things said. It's really great to hear that people like my story. And are actually reading it, which sometimes I fear they aren't. Haha, but anyway, I just hope that everyone enjoys this update as much as the others. It's a bit long, though. Thanks so much for taking the time out to read!_

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><p><strong>Spotlight<br>****Chapter Seven: Just Wandering Through**

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><p>"You snore, you know that?"<p>

I stiffened, my hands tensing up as I tried to re-tie the sleeping bag I had slept in so unceremoniously from before. I had awoken with a pillow behind my head and no clue how it got there, for I didn't carry one with me. As soon as the haze of sleep had lifted, I put two and two together and had handed it back to Jared with a shy word of thanks, to which he only grinned. And now he brought up my little...problem.

My cheeks felt hot, and I forced myself to keep my gaze low, "Yeah?"

"Not loudly," Jared chuckled, "It's not a problem. Just trying to start conversation."

"And what a lovely, non-insulting way to do so," I told him.

At that, Jared let out a bellowing laugh that sent a few random Starly out of their perches on the encircling trees. I was shocked that such a loud sound could come from such a gangly person.

_"Everything ready to go, Jared?"_

"Yep," he replied to Theo. "Just waiting for Cor - oh, hey, let me help."

He took the sleeping bag with from my hands and tied it soundly with deft fingers. I watched, making a note to try to replicate the process for myself when he wasn't around, though I was certain it wouldn't yield the same results. He shoved it into my backpack, where it fit rather nicely with my other things. Better than having it fastened to the top like I had been doing.

"And there you go!" he said, handing me the pack. He then went to the task of returning all of his Pokemon, except his Abra, who took up a perch on his back, sitting lightly atop the backpack he now had strapped to him and wrapping his clawed hands around Jared's shoulders. Jared began clipping the rest of the Pokeballs to his belt while I just stood there, feeling slightly useless.

He turned to me finally, and asked, "Ready to head out for Jubilife?"

Feeling well-rested - the Steelix had made a nice bed, believe it or not - and eager to catch a new Pokemon, I nodded and looked down at Zeke, who was chewing the grass around him. "Zeke?"

Blinking as if just coming out of a trance, he then tilted his head to look at me. He seemed to understand what I was going to say before I had to voice it, so he got up, stretched, and then trotted to my side.

"Guess that's our cue!" Jared observed cheerfully. He then marched forward, and I followed, trailing him like a lost Growlithe.

We participated in some double battles along the way, Jared with his Abra and me with Zeke. Theo was amazingly strong, making everyone around him pale in comparison. The look on some of the trainer's faces as he hit them with a Psybeam was almost humorous if I hadn't been in such an awe-stricken mood. We beat everyone, thanks mostly to Theo's tendency to one-hit KO, but Zeke was improving greatly. Something which I was immensely proud of.

After our fourth battle of the day, I finally asked him as we entered a stretch with no trainers around, "How long have you been at it?"

"Training?" he mused, placing a finger to his chin. "About eight years."

I tripped over my own feet, "How old _are _you?"

"Eighteen," he replied, as if it was something I should know already. "And you?"

"Fourteen," I said, somewhat abashed. "I just set out a few days ago."

"Ah," he mused, but didn't pry. I found that a wave of respect washed over me for him. "I got Theo on my tenth birthday. Best starter I could've asked for. I've been bouncing around the regions for a while now."

"Really?" I asked, intrigued at this wanderer's story.

I saw his head nod, the light catching on that golden earring. The hair that was still in the ponytail swished behind him, and I saw that Theo had taken to tangling his claws in the brown-blonde strands.

"I'm from Kanto, but I've been to Johto and Hoenn," he tacked off the names of the regions on his fingers. "I've gotten a few badges from each, but I've never completed a Gym circuit in any of them." He sounded almost embarrassed of this, but he shrugged, "Mom calls me scatterbrained, but I just say I'm spontaneous. Sounds better, don't you think?"

I laughed at that, "I do."

"But, yeah," he continued, "I've decided to come to Sinnoh to actually complete the circuit here. Mom doubts that I can do it, but I'm determined to prove her wrong. That I can actually focus on one thing at a ti - oh, look at those Wingull!"

I was barely able to stifle the snicker that threatened to overtake me, while Zeke had started to laugh darkly. Scatterbrained, indeed. However, I did follow his thin index finger to where he was pointing at a group of at least a dozen flying Wingull overhead.

_"Reminds me of Nelly..."_

"Ah, yes!" Jared agreed with Theo, "I remember when she was just a little Wingull. Scrawniest one I've ever seen."

He then launched into a story about how he caught Nelly, his Pelipper. Turns out, he had been aiming for a _Buneary _of all things and ended up catching Nelly instead. She was an integral part of his team now, obviously, and one of his strongest.

"And when do you plan on catching your next Pokemon?"

I skidded to a halt, almost tripping over my own feet again, "Er - well, uh, as soon as I can." I told him, "I was thinking about going searching for one after I helped you out with this."

"Ah, right." He smiled at me. "Good."

I found myself smiling back.

Zeke trotted alongside me, keeping pace with us easily. I ended up relaying the story about how I caught Zeke to them - or, rather, how I found him and the resulting chaos that ended in his failed capture, followed by his real one - and they laughed at the appropriate portions, making me feel less awkward than I had been throughout this whole thing. Jared was easy to be around, as was Theo - as soon as I got over the whole telepathy thing - and suddenly I realized I was going to miss them when we had to go our separate ways.

I remembered my phone in my backpack, at Amelia's number safely entered into the contacts, and wondered if I could at least have Jared as a contact as well. It seemed like it would be a nice thing, to have friends in this large, large world, when I had had so very little kids my age to play with in Floaroma Town growing up (I ignored the fact that Jared was four years older than me).

As if knowing what I was thinking, Zeke nipped my ankle in the usual fashion.

Yes. I still had Zeke. That thought eased the feeling of loneliness.

We continued walking. It wasn't that far away from Floaroma, which was nice. It would be great to maybe spend the night in a new town for once. I smiled as I walked, Zeke keeping pace with my steps rather easily.

"Do you have any badges from Sinnoh yet?" I decided to ask Jared, wondering what I could possibly be up against. Maybe he would even give me a few pointers.

"Yep," he said cheerily, "Oreburgh's, Hearthome's, and Sunyshore's."

I looked at him blankly.

He chuckled, seeming to read something in my expression. "If you want a little insider info, just ask."

"...that would be nice."

"Which gym are you planning on battling first?"

"Oreburgh. I figured that was closest to home, so I'd start there."

He grinned at me, "Right. So you should either stock up on a water or grass Pokemon for that. Those are the two with the most obvious strengths to Roark."

"Roark?"

"The Gym Leader."

"Ah," I said, blinking, "right. I knew that."

"Uh-huh." Jared murmured, unconvinced but amused.

I decided to ignore his doubts, and started to keep an eye out for valuable Pokemon that I could potentially catch. I found none - just Bidoof and Shinx and Starly. As much as I would love to catch a Shinx, they had an electric typing and wouldn't help me any with Roark's gym. There was one exception, though. As we were walkin through the grass, a Budew popped up. The first I'd seen around here. I was happy, but then it got blasted away by Zeke's Ember. He looked like he did it on purpose, too. Maybe he didn't want the Budew as a teammate. I had growled at him and he only laughed. Dark-type indeed.

And, after several hours of random conversation and wild Pokemon attacks, we arrived in Jubilife.

So much larger than my home town, I was shocked when we entered the place. It definitely the largest city I'd ever seen, and it was definitely larger than little Floaroma. I hadn't realized I had my jaw dropped until Jared came over and patted my chin upwards, causing me to close my mouth, "Luckily there weren't any Yanma around. They'd have flown right in."

I wrinkled my nose as I rubbed the spot on my chin where he had touched me. I made it a point to glare at him, but he only started laughing before getting distracted - I noticed this was a common thing with him - and pointing to the large Pokemon Center across the street.

He grabbed my hand roughly and yanked me across the street in a quick jog, Theo nearly falling from his back due to the psychic being caught off guard - I tried not to find the irony in that. Soon, we were bursting through the doors to the Pokemon Center. Trainers left and right stared at us blankly, but I didn't have time to take in their faces, for Jared had maneuvered me off to the side where there was a door, and behind it, a staircase leading down.

Right, this was the usual layout of a Pokemon Center, I remembered learning. Upstairs were the trainers's quarters, where they could stay if they didn't have a place, and downstairs was the trading room, where - of course - trading happened.

Jared's face was alight with something childish and excited. It was almost hard to believe he was eighteen. He walked us over to a machine manned by a rather tired looking woman with bright orange hair, run through by streaks of gray.

"We're here to trade!" he chimed enthusiastically, which only caused the woman to look at him as if he were insane.

_"And he's my trainer..." _Theo said quietly to me. Zeke and I laughed.

"Yes, that's usually what people do when they're down here," the woman stated before she yawned. "Is this a permanent trade?"

"No!" I burst out immediately, causing the exhausted little woman to give a slight jump. "I mean," I said in a much quieter tone, almost a whisper, "no."

"Yeah, it's just to help along an evolution of mine."

The woman introduced herself as Jane and pressed a button on the side of the machine. It was a strange looking thing, bolted up on the wall like that. It had two sets of tubes running in a long loop alongside each other in a tall arch, never merging together but creating a slight artistic M formation at one point where they crossed. Towards the bottom of the machine, the tubes disappeared into a metal box, ending with two holes at the base of where the tube would begin. The whole thing was encased in a rectangle of glass, reminding me slightly of a jukebox.

"Well, if you'll step this way," Jane said, motioning over to the trading machine. I hadn't realized I'd paused looking at the thing until Jared was staring at me from right beside it. I hastily moved forward, Zeke at my heels.

"Do you have to Pokemon ready to be traded?" Jane asked in a drawl.

Jared brought out his Graveller's Pokeball with a flourish and placed it in one of the holes. I blinked before looking down to Zeke and drawing out his own Pokeball. "Don't worry, it's just for a bit," I told him before he was zapped up by the red light.

I had to admit, I was antsy about the whole thing. What if something went wrong and I had to take Sheila instead of my Zeke? The very thought chilled me.

I placed his Pokeball in the other hole, however, and without further ado, Jane pressed another button and our Pokeballs were sucked upward into the tube. I watched as Zeke's spiraled around through the tube and wondered if he was completely dizzy. But that was silly. Pokeballs didn't work like that. I chalked it up to my nervousness with the whole situation. My hands clenched and unclenched at my sides, desperately wanting to hold onto Zeke's Pokeball once more.

After a few seconds, Zeke's and Sheila's Pokeballs were at the opposite place from where they started. Jane instructed us to take the Pokeballs out of the hole and place them back in, or else the trade evolution wouldn't work for some reason. Though identical to Zeke's, Sheila's ball felt completely different. It was slightly heavier and not as warm. It felt alien and wrong, and I quickly shoved the ball back into the slot, Jared doing the same.

Jane pressed another button and the Pokeballs were sucked back into the fray. I watched as Zeke's came to rest in front of me and didn't even wait for Jane's signal. I reached forward, grabbed the Pokeball, and released Zeke in one fluid motion.

To my relief, he was standing there, looking as indifferent as ever. I let out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding and knelt down to scratch his ears. He tensed, as was usual at any touch, but relaxed sooner than usual.

"Dour," he said, pushing at my wrist with his nose.

I grinned at him.

Jared had retrieved his Pokeball now, and as soon as the red-and-white ball hit his palm, it started shaking back and forth. A bright grin twisted his lips and he released Sheila. For a moment we caught a glimpse of her elated, rocky face, and then she started to glow. A light, the brightest I'd ever seen, took hold of her. Her Graveller body morphed, the light never leaving her. She grew rounder, her arms and legs became sturdier, and her body in general grew larger. I watched, entranced. This was the first live-evolution I'd ever seen, and I was fascinated.

After a few seconds had passed, a strong Golem stood in the place where there had once been a simple Graveller.

"Gol!" she exclaimed happily, staring down at her clawed, brown hands.

Jared couldn't contain himself. He launched himself in the direction of Sheila and wrapped his long, lanky arms around her bulk. "Yes! You're gonna be the strongest Golem _ever_!"

"Golem! Go-lem!"

I just stood there, not knowing what I was supposed to do until Jared grabbed me and made me dance with him and Theo and the newly evolved Golem. We grasped hands and did some kind of ring-around-the-rosie type deal. I laughed freely at it all. Since when do people get to dance around with a Golem? Not every day, that's for sure. At least for people who didn't own Golem to begin with.

Zeke was watching from the corner, and after a few minutes we heard someone cough pointedly.

I spun slightly so I tripped over my own feet, landing on my butt. I was still laughing, even when the two trainers who had obviously come down here to trade instead of watch people attempt to become Lord of the Dance.

Jane spoke, "Yeah, you might want to get out of the way."

Thanks for that spot of wisdom, Janie.

I didn't protest, though. With the excitement of a newly evolved Pokemon coursing through my veins, I made my way up the stairs as I remembered my own mission, not noticing that Jared had returned Sheila and followed me until we were in the main area of the Center.

"Hey, where are you going?"

I spun around, Zeke nearly ramming into my calves as I did so, and found Jared looking at me with a neutral expression. "Er...leaving?"

"Without saying goodbye?"

I immediately flashed back to when a similar exchange had happened - between me, Amelia, and Benji in Floaroma. That seemed so far away now.

"Sorry," I told him. I meant it. Jared seemed like a nice guy, and I knew that we had to go our separate ways due to me being a complete newbie and him...well, not being one. "I'm probably going to stay in the Pokemon Center tonight - "

"Me too!" he chirped. "Awesome, okay, so what are you doing?"

"'bout to go catch a Pokemon."

Zeke perked up at that, his stumpy little tail wagging.

Jared nodded, but didn't offer to come with. I was glad - my first capture in the wild should be done with just me and Zeke, after all. That's what I thought at least. I wanted to prove I could do this.

"I'll try to get us a room, then." Jared said, moving over to the Nurse Joy that stood behind a counter. "Good luck!"

"Thanks!" I turned and left through the glass doors of the Center, trying to pretend that I didn't hear Jared say, "Are your rooms capable of holding a full grown Steelix?"

I shook my head as I finally breathed in fresh air. The lack of fragrant flowers was noticeable, but that was just due to the place where I'd grown up. The evolution was done, and there was nothing preventing myself from catching a new Pokemon for my team. It was long overdue, too. My procrastination of the matter hadn't helped things, and I desperately needed a good Pokemon to help with Roark.

Zeke nipped my ankles, telling me to get going, I supposed.

So I did.

I walked out of the city limits, trying to ignore the trainers for once. I could always battle them on the way back to the Center. I didn't need anything distracting me. Catch Pokemon first, then focus on levelling everyone up.

I made my way through the grass, finding only Starly and Bidoof there. Groaning, I pushed aside bushes and brambles and staggered up the side of a cliff to where there I stumbled upon a large, random pond.

_Water, _was the first thought that came to mind.

Stupid, I know. But water meant a lot of things. Especially one very important thing.

The presence of water meant _water Pokemon_.

I let out a little girlish squeal of delight as I raced over to the edge of the pond. Zeke looked at me with disgust as I slipped off my shoes, rolled up my pants, and slid my feet into the cool surface, feeling the mud between my toes, the weeds skate across my skin. He rolled his eyes and trotted forward before bending down at the water's edge and lapping up the cool liquid. I blushed, feeling embarrassed when I realized we hadn't eaten all day. Let alone drank water. I shrugged off my pack and dug around before pulling out a plastic bag full of brightly colored berries.

Zeke perked up at this. I opened the bag and thrust them toward him, "Eat as much as you want."

Zeke didn't take much convincing. He plunged his snout into the bag and started chowing down. What a bad trainer I was, to have neglected food for not only myself but for my Pokemon? I decided I'd let him have the entire bag, no questions asked. I could always pick some more later.

He ate the berries, gulping them down fervently, and I just sat there, waiting for a Pokemon to surface.

It took a while. The sun had moved just slightly to touch the earth, signifying that it was sunset. And nothing had happened. I was starting to grow frustrated with all of this, when a rustling of the tall grass further down the pond caught my attention. I focused on that, expecting to see a Bidoof or something, when it happened.

Suddenly, about seven Buizel burst from the reeds alongside the pond, looking very happy with themselves. They chattered and chirped and dove like acrobats through the air before slicing through the water.

"Zeke!" I said. He looked up at the group of Buizel before barking and charging.

"Tackle!"

Zeke launched his body forward, trying to attack all of them at once. It was a strange sight. I was scared for a moment that he would be ambushed, and for a moment they did all start to attack them. He dodged and leaped and landed in the very patch of reeds that the Buizel had come from. He was wet. Being a fire type, he hated water, of course, but I wasn't sure how to attack them. Ember wouldn't work. And the rest of his moves were physical, and that would require him getting in the water. He'd faint quicker due to the conditions. I couldn't allow that after finding a gaggle of water Pokemon.

A few of the Buizel looked dazed from Zeke's Tackle, and the rest were dazed because their missed attacks that had been aimed for Zeke had hit one another. I guessesd they were weakened enough, so I carelessly threw a Pokeball, hoping to hit at least one of them.

I hit something at least, because I heard the crack of the Pokeball and the sound of the light sucking whatever it was into it. I heard a _plunk_ as it sank into the water, and then it was done.

I blinked, confused, and then knowing what I had to do next.

Rolling up my pants to my thighs, I waded out in the water. Luckily, it wasn't as deep as I'd originally thought. I felt around with my feet for the smooth surface of the Pokeball. It took me a bit longer to find this than I thought, but at least Zeke was keeping an eye out for me. My toes touched what I believed to be the wayward Pokeball and I bent down and picked it up.

There was mud clinging to its surface, but as soon as my fingers wiped most of it away, I could see that it was, indeed, my Pokeball. And it felt heavier, too. Occupied. I was somewhat shocked at this. It seemed so...strange and surreal.

I had caught my first Pokemon.

_The question is,_ I thought as I looked down at the dirty Pokeball in my hands, _what are you?_

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><p><em><strong>End Chapter Seven.<strong>_


	8. Bumbling, Bubbling, Babbling

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Pokemon._

_Thanks so much for the positive feedback! I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. School got a hold of me and college is very...yeah. At least I have this to write! For fun and stuff. Anyway, I'm so glad that everyone is enjoying this, and your responses mean more than y'all could ever know haha. Anyway, here's the latest chapter! I hope that y'all like this one!_

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><p><strong>Spotlight<br>****Chapter Eight: Bumbling, Bubbling, Babbling**

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><p>I looked at the Pokeball in my hands, eyes surveying it curiously as if I could tell what Pokemon I had caught just by staring at its surface.<p>

Zeke barked at me, and I turned my eyes toward him. He was staring pointedly at me, and I finally realized that all the Buizel from before had converged around me, glaring in a manner that suggested that I was not welcome. "Er, right. I'm leaving!" I told them, fearing another attack like what had happened with the Heracross and Scyther in the meadow.

Luckily, one that seemed to be the leader of the group nodded and I was able to wade to shore without any harassment on their part.

Zeke had loped around the side of the pond and met me at our starting point. He shook the remainders of any water out of his fur and then looked up at me expectantly. "Dour," he said, looking at the Pokeball in my hands. I supposed that meant he wanted me to unleash whatever Pokemon this was. I let out a breath, knowing that I should get on with it, but I was slightly nervous. The bright side? It could be a Buizel. The not-so-bright side? Could be a Magikarp.

I gulped, feeling my heartbeat start to accelerate, and then inhaled. "Alright, let's see what you are."

I tossed the ball gently in front of me. There was a crack, a flash of light, and the Pokemon materialized in front of me.

I stared at the Pokemon in shock. My mouth wide open, eyes feeling enormous in my head. Neither Buizel nor Magikarp - the rounded belly, the webbed feet, the large bill, yellow coloring, and beady eyes proved that. Its clawed hands clasped at its large head and it spoke.

"Psy? Psy, ay, ay?"

A Psyduck.

"Oh...oh my..."

"Dour! Dour, dour, dour, _houn_!" Zeke was cackling wickedly, and I witnessed something wholly unexpected. He was rolling in the tall grass, laughing unabashedly at our new teammate.

That was when the Psyduck sauntered over, waggling its body as it walked, and then kicked Zeke with a webbed foot.

Zeke snapped out of his glee and then shot up, glaring at the Psyduck before heaving his body in the direction of the duck Pokemon.

"No, Zeke, stop!"

"Hound!"

"Psy!"

"We can't attack our teammates!"

"Dour, hou!" I took it that translated into _"Tell that to the psychotic Psyduck."_

"Listen...er...Psyduck," I had to think of a name soon, "you're on this team now, and you can't attack Zeke." I shoved my thumb in the direction of my starter.

"Duck, psy." It nodded in something that I thought was an agreement, and I placed my hand on its head, patting it somewhat awkwardly.

"And Zeke, please don't laugh at your teammate either."

"Dour," he spat reluctantly.

I let out a large sigh and sank down on the grass. I seemed exhausted all of a sudden. I reached in my bag and pulled out my Pokedex and aimed it in the direction of my new Psyduck.

The Psyduck was a steady level seven, knowing the attacks Scratch, Tail Whip, and Water Gun, and was a male. The Pokedex spoke up and gave me a briefing on the nature of Psyduck in general as its information was added to the Pokedex. I scrolled through the entries, shocked to see that I was able to pull up pictures of Steelix, Graveller, Golem, and the rest of Jared's team, along with various other random Pokemon I had seen. Odd. I hadn't even taken out the Pokedex since I met Jared.

The Psyduck was nipping at some tall, wet grass along the edge of the pond, "So...what to name you?"

"Duck?" the Psyduck quacked, looking at me with his ping-pong like eyes.

"Dour, dour," I heard Zeke laugh.

"Don't laugh at him, Zeke!" I told him, gently tapping my finger on the side of his muzzle. He snapped at my fingers and I pulled back just in time. Close one.

"Psy, psy," the Psyduck said to Zeke. The Houndour got up and barked like a true dog before turning around and facing his back to the water-type.

I rolled my eyes at the both of them, tapping a finger to my chin as I did so. "Name, name, name. What's a name!"

"_Dour_," Zeke spat in a sarcastic tone.

"I know the _definition _of a name," I told him, even though I wasn't sure what he had just said, "but I just need one for our new teammate."

The Psyduck waddled slightly over to us before tripping over his own feet.

Laughing at the little water Pokemon, I leaned forward and propped my head up on my knees as I watched the Psyduck rise and clutch his head and croak out a mangled, "Psy, ay."

"Hugo?"

The Psyduck sprayed me with a Water Gun. Okay, he did not like that name.

Zeke cackled at me.

I tried this approach for a while, just randomly naming names and getting sprayed with a Water Gun each time. Apparently, the little guy didn't like any of the names I suggested. I was about to just say to hell with it and name him Fiona just for laughs when he stopped and grinned - if a Psyduck can actually grin - when I suggested the name Ozzy.

"Ozzy?" I said, incredulous. "You like _Ozzy_?"

"Psy!" he exclaimed, his beady little eyes gleaming.

"O-Okay," I stuttered, not exactly sure what was going through the Psyduck's brain, but at least it was a name. And one I picked, after all. I smiled at him, soaking wet and dripping with cold water, "Ozzy it is, then."

"Duck, duck!"

It was beginning to get dark. Funny how time flies by when you're getting attacked by your Pokemon. I stood up, shivering a bit, and said, "Alright, then. On to the Pokemon Center!"

So we marched. All the trainers that had been out when I had passed before had started to make camp and feed their Pokemon, so I could tell they didn't want to battle. Maybe tomorrow, then. I felt extremely confident now that I had another Pokemon, even though it wasn't one I had planned on catching. But hey, beggars can't be choosers, and the Psyduck was really growing on me, to be frank.

We turned the corner to the Pokemon Center and saw that it was full up with trainers. I returned my Pokemon and moved to stand in line. Lovely. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair as I shifted from foot to foot. Finally, I was able to place my Pokemon with the local Nurse Joy, and take a seat. I groaned as I sat in the chair. I hadn't realized I was so tired until then, sitting in the chairs of rigid plastic that were less comfortable than the mushy grass beside the pond. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, waiting for my Pokemon to be healed so I could -

Could what?

Find a room to stay in...wait, hadn't Jared said we'd be rooming together again? Okay, I could deal with that. Company wasn't so bad.

"Miss?"

I blearily opened my eyes and saw that Nurse Joy was nudging me, "Your Pokemon are ready."

I jolted and took the Pokeballs in my hands, "Thanks..."

"Uh, you have a reed on your shoulder."

I looked to the aforementioned shoulder and groaned. Had I been sitting there the whole time with some piece of grass stuck to me? I rid myself of it and tossed it back outside so the Nurse Joy wouldn't have my head for dirtying her Center.

"And here's the key to your room," she said, handing me a key attached to a circular red keychain with the number 24 stamped on it in white. "Your friend is up there now."

I supposed she remembered me from this morning, so I didn't think too much into the whole situation. I took the key from her hands and nodded my thanks before mounting the stairs to the trainers' quarters. I walked down the hall of various rooms until I came upon room 24, the door of which was cracked slightly. I creaked open the door, not knowing what to expect, when a happy Camerupt licked my arm from hand to shoulder. I shuddered but then grinned, "Hello to you, too, Mitchell."

"Rupt," he said happily.

I reached down and scratched his ears, grinning.

"Corrine!"

I jumped at the loud, harsh voice. It was familiar, though, and I replied, "Jared?"

He peered down at me from the uppermost bunk, Theo in his lap, Nelly seated on the bedpost near his feet. "The one and only."

_"Catch anything...interesting?" _Theo said, and somehow I figured he was already privy to my unorthodox day.

"You're soaked!" Jared ignored him, taking in my appearance. "And you have a reed in your hair."

"_More_?" I exclaimed, scrambling over my head with searching hands before pulling out a rather large sized reed. Growling, I marched over to the bathroom, "I'm taking a shower." And I shut the door with much more force than necessary just as Jared started to laugh.

The shower was much needed. The hot, steaming water melted away all of the coldness that my body had accumulated during the day. Between the strangely chilly night and Ozzy's equally cold onslaught of Water Gun, it was a wonder that I didn't have a cold. I didn't want to jinx myself, so I pushed that from my mind and continued to enjoy my shower. More and more reeds came off of me during it, and I grit my teeth. I probably looked like a Tangrowth, walking around like that.

I most likely stayed in there past my welcome, because next thing I knew was that Jared was knocking on the door. I dressed hastily into my pajamas and hung the towel around my neck before opening the door, "Sorry."

"Thought you'd drowned," he said, a bright grin breaking over his face. "It's been an hour."

I felt myself flush, "Oh, I'm sorry... Really, I am. I usually don't take this long - "

"It's fine." He waved me off, "There's no problem. You looked like a Carnivine when you came back."

"Carnivine?" Although I was familiar with most types of Pokemon, this one escaped me.

He smiled at me, a twinkle in his bright green eyes, "Oh, well, you'll find out what one is soon enough."

Was it just me, or did he look plain _evil _when he said that?

"Do you enjoy causing me pain?" I asked him, stomping out of the bathroom, dragging my backpack along with me to the bottom bunk.

"Carnivine do."

"Jared!"

_"Poor girl," _the Abra said.

I sent a glare in the direction of Theo, who lifted his clawed hands in a shrug. A smile formed on my face before I could stop it, and I plopped myself down on my bed. It was larger in width than the top bunk, so that when I sat down, anyone on the above bunk could easily peer down at me. I stared up at Theo, who was looking anxiously down at me.

"What did you catch?" Jared bounded over. I supposed he had already showered, since his hair looked cleaner than it had when I had first met him, and he was dressed in a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt that hung off him as if it were meant for a much larger person. He still had that layer of scruff around his face, though.

"Er," I started, moving over to push my dirty clothes in the bag. I removed the belt with all the Pokeballs I owned attached to it, and held it out in front of my face. "I guess this room isn't Steelix friendly?"

It was Jared's turn to color, "No..." he said, but then shook his head. "What did you catch, Corrine?"

I pursed my lips before catching a ball between my fingers, maximizing it, and throwing it in the space between us. Zeke appeared out of the flash of light, looking as ill-tempered and dark as usual. His bandages looked gross and I realized I needed to change them soon. Like now. "C'mere, Zeke. Let's get you out of those bandages."

Zeke didn't argue. He looked downright relieved when he tromped over to me and I cut off the bandages with a pair of scissors I had brought with me. I applied some of the ointment to the Combee sting, which looked a lot better in comparison to before. The swelling had gone down. I was just wrapping some fresh white bandages around his shoulder when Jared spoke again.

"Yes, we know you have a Houndour, obviously," he said, a light and teasing tone to his voice. "But show us what you caught... You _did _catch something, didn't you?"

Zeke turned his head toward Jared and started to snicker.

"Zeke! I told you not to laugh at Ozzy!"

"Ozzy?" Jared looked highly amused at my new Pokemon's name. "So you _did _catch something." Before I could answer, he added, "Then let's see it!"

Sighing, I watched as Zeke moved to sit by the desk and chair that sat adjacent to the bunk bed. He also looked very amused. _Too _amused, to be honest.

"Fine, fine!" I said through clenched teeth. I didn't know why I was so nervous at introducing a new member of my team. I should be proud. But with all of his strong, unbeatable Pokemon, I was sure Jared would outright laugh at me when he saw what Ozzy was. And Ozzy was important to me. He was on my team and I didn't want people laughing at him.

I unhooked Ozzy's Pokeball from the belt in my hand, mindset renewed, and tossed the Pokeball to the wood-planked floor in front of me with a determined stare. If Jared did happen to laugh at Ozzy, I'd totally kick him in the shin.

Ozzy emerged from the bright white light, looking confused for a moment before clenching his head. "Psy?"

"This is Ozzy."

"Psy, duck!"

To my bewilderment, Jared didn't laugh. He didn't look like he was going to at all, actually. He just smiled gently at the Pokemon - a non-critical smile that was completely kind and interested. "A Psyduck, huh? Cool choice." He kneeled down and placed his hand on Ozzy's head.

"Well," I began, "it wasn't really my choice."

I then began the story of how I caught Ozzy, bringing in all of the details about the pack of Buizel and the paranoia of thinking I'd caught something completely terrible for my first Gym challenge.

"Yes, a Magikarp certainly wouldn't have suited that well, now, would it?"

I smiled at him, "Nah."

Jared returned the gesture, "All Pokemon are useful, Corrine. You just gotta learn _how _they are useful."

"Even Magikarp?"

His lips twitched at the side, fighting a full blown grin, and he placed his hand on top of my head, "Especially Magikarp."

I found myself laughing at the intonation he used when he gave that comment. It was nice, I supposed, having friends around. Or _a _friend. Singular. I knew it couldn't last, though. Jared had to go his own way and I had to go mine. Just thinking about it was slightly harder than I imagined beforehand.

"You look tired," he said, gazing at me thoughtfully.

"Mm," I mumbled, not wanting to admit that I really was.

Jared smiled, though, as if he knew what I was thinking. "Then let's get some shut eye." He walked over to the small ladder that led up to the top bunk and swung himself into the bed above me. There was a brief moment of silence before he peered down at me and my team, "Sorry. Did you want the top bunk?"

I laughed, "No. It's fine."

"Okay," he smiled disarmingly. "I just thought, with your luck, you'd end up falling off in the middle of the night."

Zeke snickered. Ozzy quacked. I scowled.

"Good night, Corrine," he said in a sing-song voice.

I groaned and moved across the room to turn off the light. "Good night, Jared."

I heard him chuckle and stir in the bed, and I found my way back to my own bed with little problems. However, once I settled into the sheets, I found that Ozzy had taken up half the bed. This was new. I was so used to Zeke avoiding me like the plague when we slept that I had rarely a chance to get used to a new bed buddy.

"Duck, duck."

"Okay, you can sleep here. Move over, please?"

Ozzy obliged, scooting over and giving me just enough room that was manageable. I settled into the covers and found that Zeke was no where to be found. This hurt a bit more than I thought it would, so I called out, "Zeke?"

"Dour."

"You can sleep up here, if you want."

I looked down at the floor beside the bed to see two gleaming eyes staring up at me, reflected by the light of the moon in the window. He shook his head lightly, still strangely wary of me. Again, this was a blow. I wanted my Pokemon to trust me, but I decided to go along with his quirks. And if he didn't want to sleep in the same bed as the trainer that was likely to roll over on him in his sleep, then okay. Seemed a valid concern.

But Zeke did lay just by the head of the bed, close to where I was facing. Close enough to let me stroke his ears a bit until I fell asleep.

_One step at a time, _was the last thought I had before I lost consciousness.

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><p><em><strong>End Chapter Eight.<strong>_


	9. Dream the Dream and Wake Up

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Pokemon._

_Thanks so much for your reviews! I appreciate all of them. It's really nice to know that people are reading this story. So, I hope that y'all enjoy this new chapter!_

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><p><strong>Spotlight<br>****Chapter Nine: Dream the Dream and Wake Up**

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><p>My dreams that night consisted of strange water Pokemon I had never seen before - one of which was a giant green Gyarados-looking thing that called itself "Carnivine" and tried to attack Zeke and me, until Ozzy came out and ninja-kicked it somehow.<p>

Don't ask.

Despite my odd dream, I ended up sleeping extremely well. Whether it was due to the fact that I had actually accomplished something the previous day, the fact that I had been attacked by my new Pokemon, or the fact that this was the first time I'd slept in a real bed in days probably all contributed to it. I wasn't complaining. Thus was the life of a trainer.

The reason I woke up, though, was the fact that I had an odd pressure on my chest. Wondering what the deal was, I opened my eyes and nearly got them poked out by the bill of my newly obtained Psyduck.

"Ozzy! Holy - "

"Good morning!"

Oh, a headache was the best way to start the day. I looked over to where the voice had sounded from, pushing Ozzy off of my stomach in the process. "Aw, come on."

Jared was packing up his things, Theo at his side. The rest of his team had been returned, it looked like. I wasn't sure what I was witnessing here, but I wasn't sure that I liked it. "What are you doing, Jared?"

He looked up at me, his ponytail loosely tied at the nape of his neck, bright green eyes studying me curiously. "Going to shop for supplies. I was just about to wake you up to see if you wanted to come with."

I sat up, Ozzy flailing as he was thrown from my chest and into my lap. "Sure! I probably need to stock up now that I have more than one Pokemon…"

"My thoughts exactly." He gave me a cheeky grin.

I rubbed my eyes vigorously, wanting to check my cell phone for the time. I groped around for it, as uncoordinated as ever in my waking moments.

"Corrine?"

"Yeah?"

"Your hair looks like a Pidgey nest."

"…Thanks."

Before we left to go stock up on supplies, I made sure to change Zeke's bandages again and put a fresh dollop of the medicine on the sting. The swelling had gone down rapidly during the night, which I was proud of. These Pokemon Centers sure knew what they were doing, after all. I changed into a pair of clothes that were cleaner than the ones I had on previously, and realized that I should probably do laundry. Or something. Yeah…

Jared was practically tugging me out the door, Theo seated on his back as per usual. Since both of my Pokemon were rather small - compared to Jared's Steelix and Golem - and not to mention smaller in number, I decided to leave Zeke and Ozzy out as we walked to the stores.

It was a rather lengthy walk, and I was sure if I was by myself, I would have gotten lost at least twelve times, but I had fun chatting with Jared about random things as we moved on.

"And then, Theo totally slapped the chick Abra - "

"_My trainer, I do believe you are mistaken."_

"Nope! Don't think so! You totally reached out and smacked that girl one."

"_I would not go as far as to say it in that manner - "_

"So you admit it?"

"_I do not."_

Jared turned to me and faux-whispered, "He so did it."

"_If you keep spreading this nonsense, I will not hesitate to use a Psybeam."_

"Corrine didn't do anything!"

"_On __**you**__."_

Jared laughed, but suddenly his expression changed. There was a strange look in his eyes, something that I had never seen there before. He looked toward me and then out in front of him yet again. "Theo, look. It's Willa."

"Willa?" I asked quizzically. I had no clue what he was talking about, but he looked slightly upset - okay, not slightly. He looked like he had just been punched in the gut by a Machamp whose career was pro-boxing. This more than bothered me because, though I knew the time I had spent with him was short, I had never seen Jared look like this.

As the wheels in my mind turned, I followed Jared's gaze to a young woman sitting on bench near a water fountain. She was staring out at the water as if it were liquid gold, something infinitely interesting, and stroked the huge Mightyena that had lain its head on her lap.

I was slightly out of it, wondering what in the world could have made Jared act like that, when I saw him approach her. I heard Theo's warning tones - _"Jared, are you sure this is a good idea?" _- and saw as he had placed his clawed hands onto his trainer's wild hair in a symbol of comfort.

I followed. Probably not out of my best judgment, but it's what I did. I walked forward and was glad when I saw Zeke and Ozzy following me. They were just as confused as I was - though I wasn't sure about Ozzy. He permanently looked confused to me.

Jared had finally reached the woman. He was just standing there, doing nothing, as I came up and took my place beside him.

I finally got a good look at this strange woman. She had shoulder-length platinum blonde hair that was strangely tinted with some kind of teal color. Her deep brown eyes looked as if they had seen too much. This suddenly felt too serious; I felt I should leave before I messed something up. This was not the place for a clumsy, absent-minded girl from Floaroma Town.

She looked up at Jared and a smile split the fog that was her face, "Jared."

"Willa." His voice was a strange croak.

"I finally got my hair back to normal." She picked a piece of green-tinged blonde hair between her fingers and rubbed at it. "At least, somewhat. It'll take a few more tries, most likely."

He said nothing.

Okay, this was officially awkward. And random. And…just plain _weird_.

The Mightyena raised its head off of the girl's lap and glared at me. I supposed it sensed a new person here and didn't like it. Its muzzle pulled back and teeth glistened at me. I heard Zeke start to growl behind me.

"Down, Milo," she said, patting his head reassuringly. "But he does have a good point. Jared, who's the jailbait you got there with you?"

Jared started for a moment and then turned around. He looked like he was seeing me for the first time. I didn't like the look in his eyes.

When he didn't say anything, I addressed her, "Corrine. I'm Corrine Bray."

"Well, Corrine," Willa said, smirking lightly. "I'm Willa James. Nice to meet you."

"You too."

Milo stopped growling, but I still felt Zeke at my side, tensed and uncomfortable, ready to pounce if provoked. I felt my new Psyduck clench his tiny claws into the fabric of my jeans.

"Houndour, huh? You don't really look like a dark-type trainer."

Zeke barked in insult, and I replied, "…I'm guessing you are?"

She smiled, "Just my starter, here."

I felt my muscles tense up. The whole air here was completely off. I looked down at the Pokemon by my side and saw that Zeke was staring up at me, questions in his eyes, and that Ozzy was practically squeezing his head with his tiny paws. Yeah, buddy, I feel you right now.

"Same here." I told her, reaching down and stroking Zeke's ears in what I hoped would be a comforting manner. Pokemon could sense what other people could not, and I knew that Zeke would be sensing things every which way now. Like how wrong this all felt.

To my surprise, he had been tense when I had touched him, but he relaxed. Instead of the other way around. I took this as a big step in our relationship. I felt a grin spread across my face and Zeke nipped at my wrist.

"Enjoying tutoring newbies, huh?" she asked Jared while looking amusedly at me.

"Corrine's cool."

I felt a smirk twist my mouth. "Right here, people."

"Yeah," Jared said. And suddenly his hand was around my wrist, fingers overlapping one another as they grasped my arm. "Come on, let's go. We have to go shopping, right?"

Jared was pointedly looking away from Willa, but her large brown eyes were fixated on him with an impassive stare. I thought we were being rude, but the whole vibe of the situation seemed to dictate that rudeness didn't matter. Whatever Willa had done to him had been bad enough to make him come over to her and then leave as if she hadn't been there in the first place. I tried to plant my feet, but Jared was too strong, pulling us away.

I stumbled backward and when we were far enough away that Willa couldn't comment anymore without shouting, Jared freed my wrist.

Then, a voice. Loud, shouting. Just a complete statement, nothing emotional about it. Just a statement of a fact. A fact that didn't seem like a fact to me since it seemed to clarify nothing. Nothing except to Jared.

"You know I _left_! I quit!"

However, this didn't seem to sway Jared. While he paused a bit and I heard his uncertain intake of breath, he didn't turn back around to face Willa. Zeke was glaring at Jared, and Ozzy was just tumbling alongside him.

"Jared?" I voiced. He was still tugging me along. "_Jared_!"

"Dour!"

"_Trainer, stop it."_

Theo seemed to get to him, and he immediately let go. He flushed lightly and said, "Sorry, Corrine."

I took my hand and rubbed at the skin of my wrist. "No problem."

Jared was rather subdued the rest of the day. Sure, he acted like his usual self, but he was strangely dark about everything else. As his starter, Theo was particularly worried. They had such a strong relationship that it made me slightly jealous, but I was glad that Theo seemed to be helping Jared's mood. I didn't know who this Willa chick was, or why she disturbed Jared so, but I knew better than to ask. Maybe Theo would explain to me later. This whole situation was just so bizarre…

"Oh! Sale on Pokemon food! Which does Zeke like, Corrine?"

At least he was back to acting scatterbrained as usual.

We ended up buying some strange kind of food for Zeke and some for Ozzy. I wasn't sure what to get my new Psyduck, so I just randomly put some food in my cart and moved on. I was feeling exhausted and we haven't even done anything. I guess some kinds of encounters do that to a person.

But we shopped until we dropped. Literally. After we were done, we were so loaded down with packages that we plopped to the ground in front of the Pokemon Center where we would spend another night before heading off somewhere else. Or something. I still had no idea what Jared planned to do.

"What a day," I commented, watching as Zeke snickered at Ozzy. I sent him a glare.

"What a day," Jared echoed. I could tell that he was now back to thinking of Willa.

Theo slapped the back of Jared's head.

"Theo! Come on!"

"_I would not have to do that if you would just snap out of this funk."_

"I don't think slapping me is the way to go about things."

I laughed, an abrupt and strange thing sounding in my chest. Zeke bit onto Ozzy's tail and I then shrieked and watched as Ozzy started to use a Scratch attack, "No! No! Stop it! For the love of Giratina, stop!"

Jared and Theo were rolling at this point.

I finally managed to pull the two Pokemon apart - literally, with my hands - and we ended up going to our room, which Jared had reserved for another night before we left the Center. Nurse Joy grinned as we walked into the place. Just a few straggling trainers were left around, most sitting in the chairs and waiting on their Pokemon to be healed, while some others were standing by drink machines.

My stomach growled.

"You do know they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Centers, right?"

"Wrong." I told Jared, "I did not know that."

"Then let's eat!"

Jared pulled me into a room just across from the stairs that led to the trainers' quarters, and there was the largest buffet I'd ever seen.

"Oh my…"

Zeke pounced on the buffet like a cat rather than a demonic dog, and Ozzy tried to claw his way up the side to no avail.

"Bad idea, Jared."

After a while, we were able to get my wily Pokemon to calm down. However, we ended up taking all the food up to the room to eat in a impromptu picnic type deal. We all sat down on the floor in a circle. Jared let out his Pokemon - except for Ferdinand, because we were very certain that the room wasn't Steelix-friendly - and it was almost like our first night together. Minus the fire, that is.

Ozzy seemed to get along well with Nelly, which I was glad for. I suppose water-types kind of had that kinship thing going on. Explained why Zeke was enthusiastic to talk to Mitchell. It was nice to see that this kind of camaraderie was still possible even after all that had transpired before.

Jared was smiling, which was good, but I could tell that there was something about his eyes that just wasn't right. They were far off. Too intense for his giddy expression. I stroked Zeke's ears absently. The wince wasn't there this time.

After a while - after I got my shower and Jared got his - we retired for the night. Zeke, while having not winced before at my touch, still slept on the floor. Ozzy, however, was all to eager to get into the fluffy bed provided by the Pokemon Center.

"Good night, Corrine," Jared said as he flipped off the light. He crawled into the top bunk once again, and I made my home at the bottom bunk. I supposed the whole day had tired me out because I was out like a light within minutes.

My dreams were of nothing in particular. There were random flashes of Zeke, of Ozzy, of Jared, of Willa. All mashed together like some strange collage. And I was running. None of the dream made sense, but I figured that most dreams don't. I slept like the dead, though, so I figured the dream wasn't too bad.

However, when I woke up the next morning, I figured that it was a bad thing I'd slept so soundly.

I woke to an empty room. Only my two Pokemon and I remained. I checked Jared's bunk, and the bed was neatly made. His pack was gone, too.

I looked over at Zeke, who was glaring at me with an important look in his eyes. Ozzy just looked clueless, which I figured meant he knew nothing about the abrupt departure. But that was his default look, though, so I couldn't be sure…

I made up the bed, seeing no reason to stay there any longer. Feeling a strange disappointment that he had left so suddenly without any goodbye. I was walking over to my own book bag when I saw it.

A piece of paper, folded and lying on top of my pack, my name written on the front in a messy scrawl.

I unfolded the note to find a phone number and a note of apology.

_Sorry, Corrine. I hate to leave you like this - Theo disagrees with this decision as well - but I need to get going. There are some things I need to take care of. Please forgive me. Call if you ever feel the need to talk. It has been fun these past few days. Good luck with your journey!_

_All the best,  
><em>_Jared_

There was nothing else to say, I suppose. And I couldn't escape the feeling that this had something to do with the encounter yesterday.

With nothing else to do, I saved Jared's number in my phone and packed up the rest of my things before leaving the Pokemon Center.

As soon as we stepped outside into the bright sunlight, I put a smile on for my team and exclaimed, "On to Oreburgh, guys!"

Zeke clamped down on my ankle. That, at least, was a constant. I smiled at him and kneeled to gently pry him from the spot on my ankle that he seemed to adore more than anything in this world.

Just as I got him off of my ankle, I noticed that someone was standing near me. The scuffed brown shoes got my attention - and then I noticed the four paws standing nearby.

I lifted my head to find myself face-to-face with Willa James.

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><p><em><strong>End Chapter Nine.<strong>_


	10. The Girl With The Mightyena

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Pokemon._

_Thank you to __**May and Dawn are the best**__, __**Zangoose-Kira**__, and __**Umbree **__for the reviews! I can never express how much they mean haha. And, um, referring back to the previous chapter, Nelly and Mitchell are Jared's Pelipper and Camerupt respectively. Anyway, haha, I hope that y'all enjoy the new chapter! Thanks for reading!_

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><p><strong>Spotlight<br>****Chapter Ten: The Girl With The Mightyena**

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><p>I lifted myself up from the ground, my mouth hanging wide open. I had no intention on clamping it shut. I didn't care if this person thought I was the most awful, rude trainer in existence. I was shocked to see her here, standing like some kind of odd thing in the middle of the street, looking at me with a peculiar amount of amusement.<p>

"Where's Jared?" she asked.

Of course.

"Left."

She smirked, as if I had told her something extremely interesting, and scratched the gigantic Mightyena - Milo, if I remembered correctly - on the head. He gave several barks in Zeke's direction, who growled in response.

"Shh, Milo," she said, smiling at her starter. "Corrine's good people, apparently."

"Yena," Milo scoffed.

"Where you headed?" Willa asked.

I stood up to my full height and looked at her. I wasn't sure what to think of her. Here she was, the person who obviously caused Jared more strife than was necessary of any human being, and she was actually being somewhat cordial - albeit slightly condescending in her manner of doing it. I wasn't even sure how that was possible.

"Oreburgh."

She smirked, "What a coincidence."

"You're headed that way, too?"

She ran a hand casually through her odd looking hair, a light smirk playing on her lips as she did so, "You want company?"

I quirked a skeptical brow at her - I wasn't sure of her motives. And Jared had acted very strangely around her. I thought I had a right to be wary of her somewhat, but…then again, she hadn't done anything to me. What harm could it be, traveling with her?

_She could kill you in your sleep,_ a voice in my head spoke up.

_Jared could have too. _I pointed out.

Great, now I was developing schizophrenia.

I shrugged at her, heaving a sigh as I did so. I wasn't sure about this, but why not give it a go? I always had Zeke and Ozzy with me. As that thought occurred to me, I turned to face them and saw that they were tussling around together, completely ignoring me and my mental plight. Right. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yeah, well, why not?"

Willa gave me a grin that disarmed me for a moment. She didn't seem so threatening then - I wasn't sure what Jared's past was with her, but I guessed I shouldn't let that cloud my judgment about her - so she strode forward and punched me playfully on the shoulder, "Then let's go!"

Blinking, I found myself following in her direction.

"That Jared is a piece of work, isn't he?"

I almost stumbled over my own feet as I trudged along, smacking into Milo, who growled at me reproachfully, but he didn't seem as into it as he was before. Apparently, he was a well-trained Pokemon.

"Not sure what you mean," I said, staring at her wonderingly.

"…he didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

Willa shrugged, her teal-tinted blonde hair swishing around her face as she did so. "Ah, it's not important."

"Uh…okay?"

She turned towards me then, grinning, "So! Why are you going to Oreburgh?"

"Why does anyone go to Oreburgh?" I told her with a quirked brow.

"The rocks," she deadpanned. "And the gym leader is a hot piece of - "

"Migh!" Milo interrupted her.

"Milo can be such a prude sometimes," Willa said, patting him on the head. He visibly relaxed, but tried to nip her fingers. The gesture was so familiar to me that I almost gasped in surprise.

"I'm going to get my first badge." I said as we continued walking. It was such an obvious thing to say that I wondered why Willa even bothered with asking the question. Oh, well. Maybe it wasn't obvious to her. Maybe she was just trying to make conversation.

_Maybe she's going to slit your throat in the night._

_Oh geez, _I though, running a hand through my hair. This was getting ridiculous. So I just out-and-out asked it, "Are you going to, like, kill me in my sleep or something?"

Tact. Something that I should probably practice.

She started laughing, though there was a strange edge to her eyes. "No, of course not. I'm not as bad as Jared made me seem. Just a girl that's made mistakes."

"What, are you like his girlfriend or something?"

This made Willa laugh harder, "No! No, no, no. That's too funny."

Apparently, it was, because she started to snort uncontrollably. I found myself laughing along with her, so much that Zeke ended up ramming his skull cap into my shin. I yelped and grasped the offended area, cursing lightly. "Dour," he said reproachfully.

"Alright, Zeke. Serious faces," I said, trying my best to tug my smile down into a neutral expression, but to no avail as I continued walking.

"Houn-dour," he replied, head butting me again.

"What?" I asked, looking down at him with a cocked eyebrow.

"Dour!"

I stopped and stared at him - and then noticed what he was most likely trying to get my attention about.

"Didn't you have a Psyduck with you?" Willa asked, pointing out the obvious.

"Ozzy!" I shouted, my voice far too high for my liking. Oh, oh, no. I had gone and lost my Psyduck. How completely _stupid _was I? "Ozzy! Where'd you go!"

"Dour," Zeke said, clamping down on my ankle. I swear if he ever got Poke-rabies, I was in trouble.

"What is it?" I gazed down at him, my voice high-pitched and squeaky and sounding like my mother when she found out I had decided the local Drifloon were my best friends. "Zeke…"

He turned around and pointed in a direction, through a mass of bushes. Milo bounded in front of us, leaping in front of Zeke, who looked affronted. He pushed his large black muzzle to the ground and started sniffling before looking back at us and motioning us forward. Zeke, however, had a look on his face that said, "I just _told _you that."

So, I'm supposing Ozzy went that way.

We moved through the brambles and bushes, getting hung up on the briars and whatnot. Plants just kept attacking me. First the reeds and now briars. I was not looking forward to whoever headed the grass-type gym.

It seemed we walked forever, but soon enough we stumbled upon Ozzy. Literally.

"Ow!" I exclaimed as I fell onto my face, my legs having come into contact with something that had caught me off balance.

"Psy?"

"Mmf," I mumbled but then realized the voice that had reached my ears. I sat up immediately, and looked over to the thing I had tripped over, "Ozzy!"

Typical.

Ozzy was looking at me with those clueless eyes of his. Oh. My. God. Well, at least the incessant worrying was gone, but now I was slightly miffed. "And why did you run off?"

"Duck, psy." He tilted his head, his small claws latched onto either side.

"Dour." Zeke tossed his head into the direction to Ozzy's side. A large pond greeted me.

Right. Ozzy was a water-type. Naturally, he liked water. Ugh. Idiot trainer, that's me. "Right. Okay, well, Ozzy, I'll…um…go ahead and swim," I sighed, feeling defeated. "Sorry."

Willa was snickering, as was Milo, and I turned to her and glared as I heard Ozzy splash into the water, followed by Zeke's annoyed huff.

"Nice, Corrine," Willa scoffed. Milo couldn't seem to get a hold of himself. These two…perfect partners, I swear. And I had only known them for less than a whole day.

"You don't mind if we take a detour, huh?" I asked.

"Nah, I love braving the woods just to let another person's Pokemon have a dip."

"Your sarcasm is refreshing."

"As is yours." Willa grinned.

I wandered to the edge of the pond. At least the woods wasn't as thick around the pond as it was everywhere else. Ozzy surfaced, looking refreshed and happy, and I felt happy seeing my Pokemon like that. It was good that at least he was having a good day, whereas I felt like I had just been trampled by a heard of Mamoswine.

I took off my shoes and let my feet dangle in the waters' edge. It was clear, cool, and very comforting to my already achy feet. I splashed some water on the cuts I had gotten, washing away the blood that had caked there, and was astonished to see Zeke sitting next to me.

"Dour," he said. He was still a ways away from the water, but he was laying down with his head on his paws. At that point, Milo bounded over the top of him and splashed down in the water, the droplets nearly speckling him if Zeke hadn't jumped back at the last second.

"Milo might talk tough, but he's a big softie," Willa said as she moved to sit down beside me. I was still on edge around her, which I thought I had good reason for, but she seemed as casual as ever.

"Do you have any other Pokemon?" I blurted out, surprised at myself for actually asking. I watched as Ozzy flailed around in the water as Milo chased him. The sight was rather humorous. Zeke huffed beside me.

"Of course."

She reached towards her belt and pulled off two Pokeballs before maximizing them and tossing them in front of her. The flashes of light that emitted from them faded away and in their place were two Pokemon - a Purugly and a Gengar. I blinked a few times. Of course my newest traveling partner had to have a cat Pokemon. _Of course. _I hadn't even realized how much I disliked them until now. Cats. Ugh. The Gengar was interesting, though. I had never seen one in person before. I'd watched all the horror movies on television about ghost-types and whatnot, but I had always found ghosts very interesting. So, I supposed I was a bit star struck at the sight of the ghoulish Pokemon.

"Gordon - the Gengar- was my second Pokemon. Then came Lea," she said, and reached out and scratched the cat Pokemon behind the ears. Lea purred and leaned into her touch while Gordon chuckled in the background.

"_Niceee to meet you, Corrine," _the Gengar drawled.

I started, looking at the ghost-type with large eyes. "You know my name?"

"Gordon's creepy like that."

"And how can you talk! I just got used to the idea of psychics talking!" I didn't realize how stupid I sounded. It was like I was a kid - well, I kinda am - trying to justify the sight of their father in a Santa Claus suit seated by the Christmas tree with a Stantler with a painted nose.

"Ghosts - "

"_So naïve," _Gordon grinned - well, I think that was a Gengar's default look, anyway - and floated near me, _"Ghosts aren't really limited by the things that hinder other Pokemon, you see."_

"Because…you're…ghosts?" I asked, wondering how I should have phrased that sentence. Should have done it any way except in that manner.

"No one really knows. They've done studies about it, but no conclusive results," Willa said, shrugging, "I'm not complaining. It's nice to actually be able to talk to your Pokemon where they can talk back, ya know?"

"_I think it's because we're supernatural, but then again, I am often wrong." _He floated by me, brushing against the hair next to my ear. I shivered. It seemed he brought a cold breeze with him as well. I remembered my encounters with the Drifloon, how they always seemed to have a cold air about them as well. A ghost thing, I guessed.

I could tell he was talking by telepathy, though. His mouth didn't move from that creepy grin while he was speaking. I guessed he could talk like a regular Pokemon as well - like Theo had demonstrated before - but I wasn't about the mention Jared again. Something told me that that was a sensitive subject with her, even though she joked about it.

"_Good instincts, you," _Gordon said, floating over to Zeke. Zeke barked several times before standing up and moving to sit right beside me. I was shocked, but pleasantly so. Lea mewled in the background. I tensed.

"You don't like cats, huh?" Willa asked, amused.

"My dad has a Purugly. Primrose. Pampered little brat, that thing. She hates me." I said, and suddenly felt a pang of homesickness. I probably needed to call home soon.

Willa smiled, though, and this one looked genuine. "Lea's…she's special."

I supposed she knew her Pokemon better than I did, and I shouldn't judge so quickly. Especially since Lea seemed to not have scratched me or tried to kill me in my sleep. Ah, Primrose. One aspect of home I did not miss whatsoever.

I didn't ask Willa to elaborate on that, but I could tell that by looking at Lea she was very different from Primrose. She was quieter, subdued. Even shy, the way she looked as she sat on Willa's lap. Her face even looked kinder than most Purugly I had seen before. Well, kinder than Primrose. Vindictive thing.

"Yeah…bet so," I said, and there was no sarcasm to my tone. Willa looked over to me, as if she was surprised, and a smile spread over her features. I heard Ozzy and Milo out in the water, splashing around. Gordon had taken to floating around my head, and Zeke was sitting tense at my side.

"Maybe I'll tell ya one day, when you're not such a newbie," Willa's smile turned into the Gengar-like grin I was not accustomed to.

"Sure, sure," I sighed, shrugging my shoulders.

"Some things you have to be experienced to handle, anyway. Or they'll take away your faith in things."

Gordon ended up sitting on my shoulder, making Zeke downright uncomfortable as he pressed himself into my leg, rigid all over. I reached out and scratched his hears, and he nipped at my fingers just the lightest bit, only drawing the minimal amount of blood. Willa's words unsettled me, and again brought back the mystery of her. Who she really was, where she came from, why Jared was so unsettled by seeing her… It all slapped me in the face like the brunt hand of a Mr. Mime.

"So! Let's get our Pokemon together and stop lollygagging around. We need to get to Oreburgh and get you that first badge! And get me that gym leader's phone number!"

"_Still on about that, are you?" _Gordon grinned as he floated to his trainer.

"If I am anything, it is persistent."

"_Aware of that, trainer."_

I found myself laughing. Despite everything - despite my concerns and everything about Willa, she really didn't seem like she was bad news. I wasn't sure what I was worried about. Even if Jared was wary of her, it didn't mean I had to be. I smiled as I rose to my feet and jammed my feet into my shoes.

"Ozzy! Let's get to Oreburgh!"

"Duck!" he exclaimed. I was surprised to see that he was excited. This little interlude was probably well-needed for him. I was sure that we'd be stopping by more bodies of water for him later on, seeing as how much he enjoyed swimming. Of course he would, he's a _water-type_. He swam clumsily to shore and then waddled over to me, Milo bounding over him and retaking his position at Willa's side.

"Good call," Willa said. "Seeing how spacey you are, I wouldn't be surprised if you forgot about the gym challenge altogether."

"Thanks, Willa, thanks."

I supposed this was the start of a shaky, odd, unpredictable friendship.

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><p><em><strong>End Chapter Ten.<strong>_


	11. Rock and Rolla

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Pokemon._

_Okay! Here's the latest chapter. Thanks so much to __**OceanSpiral**__, __**May and Dawn are the best**__, __**Umbree**__, and __**Zangoose-Kira **__for your lovely reviews. I'm so grateful to y'all for keeping up with this story, and giving me such kind feedback. Anyway, here's the latest chapter. I've split it into two parts because I didn't want it getting too long, so…yeah. Please enjoy! I'd love to hear your reviews!_

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><p><strong>Spotlight<br>****Chapter Eleven: Rock and Rolla **

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><p>"Ah, Oreburgh!"<p>

A night in the woods, loads of walking, and random Geodude attacks behind us, we arrived in Oreburgh on a bright and sunny day. It seemed a lot warmer here than in comparison to the overhanging woods we had been walking through. Willa and I partnered in several double-battles, but most of the single ones she left to me. I was grateful for that, since Zeke and Ozzy needed to train in preparation for the oncoming gym battle I was to face. I thought that the two of them had leveled up considerably, all things considered.

"About time, right?" Willa said cheekily, stretching out in the light in an almost catlike manner.

The city itself was a very rural looking place, with craggy rocks here and there. I could see that there was a quarry of some sort down towards one end of the town. Overall, the place was only a bit bigger than Floaroma, though it was immensely more populated. People busied themselves moving from the small outlet mall I could make out in the distance, or going from the Pokemon Center to the PokeMart and the other places around town. I suddenly remembered I needed to stock up on Potions and all that jazz.

"Gym time, Corrine?"

"I need to get some Potions and…stuff…" I told Willa, looking up at her. Gordon was perched on her shoulder, hanging on like an odd kind of backpack. With a jolt, I was reminded instantly of Jared and Theo.

"_So eloquent," _Gordon pointed out. The ever present grin on his face was enough to give me permanent chills, but… I knew I had to get over that. It was silly.

"Hmmm," I heard Willa breathe through her nose as she scratched her head.

"What is it?"

"Well, while you're in that gym battle of yours, I think I'm going to go catch another Pokemon."

"Wh-What?" I stuttered, "Hey, what happened to supporting your friend?"

"Friend? So we're suddenly friends?"

"Willa, I figure any group that have nearly gotten trampled by a herd of Machop are pretty much instantly friends."

Willa grinned at that. Yes, it was true. On the way here, a few missteps and overly loud conversation had landed us into Machop city. And they weren't too happy. Here I thought Machop were generally good natured, but they…well, to say the least, weren't happy to see us. It did help level Zeke and Ozzy up a bit, and I got to see a fair amount of Gordon's prowess, but it was definitely not fun.

"Yeah, well, I'll tell you what. I'm going to be off catching a new Pokemon while you get that gym badge. At the end of the day, meet up at the Pokemon Center and I'll let you meet him or her and you show me that badge!"

"Uh…that totally didn't answer my question."

Willa grinned, "Doesn't matter. It's happening."

"You are a word I can't even say."

"That's my job! Good luck, little hick-a-billy, see ya in a few!" Willa waved at me before starting down some random path. I half-wondered what kind of Pokemon she expected to find here, but then I focused my attention on the Mart, where I knew several things I needed resided there.

I ended up going into the Mart and bought everything I needed there, and then some. I bought food and got another Pokeball to replace the one Zeke broke out of so long ago. In all honesty, I only had enough money for one. Embarrassing.

I figured we should eat lunch before going and battling the gym leader. I only knew that he specialized in rock-type Pokemon, which was why I had to have a water Pokemon with me. Ozzy was my secret weapon. Since Zeke was a fire-type - and part dark, but I digress - he might not be too much of a help, I was remiss to realize.

I unleashed the two of them near a bench and sat down. I opened two cartons of the newly bought Pokemon food and fed that to them. I watched as they chomped down on the food, Ozzy rather enthusiastically and Zeke rather begrudgingly. I smiled and ate the sandwich I had just bought from one of the little shops around town.

"Today's the day, guys," I told them with a mouthful of sandwich. "We're going to get that first gym badge!"

"Duck, duck, duck," Ozzy chortled between his own food. I assumed that was an agreement.

Zeke snorted cynically into his food. Well, at least one of my Pokemon was seemingly civil towards me.

We kinda ate in silence after that. The sound of kids running about - I noticed that Geodude and Nosepass were popular starters here - and playing with their Pokemon was the only sounds around, other than the typical town-y sounds. I realized I missed Floaroma and its tranquility more and more.

I finished off my sandwich just as a boy and his Cacnea came up to me. He was at least eleven, I figured, and I blinked at him as he stopped right in front of me and positioned himself between Zeke and Ozzy.

"Hello!"

"Er…hi."

"My name is Spencer!"

"Um…hey, Spencer."

"This is Carlos!" Spencer pointed to the Pokemon beside him. The Cacnea croaked out a hello and spun slightly.

"Is that your first Pokemon?" I asked him casually.

"Yep!" Spencer beamed and picked up the Cacnea. I wondered idly how he could do that without being poked to death by the spikes. Maybe Cacnea could turn it on and off…but that made no sense. "Are you going to fight Roark?"

"Well, yeah, I was gonna punch him one," I said, but when Spencer looked scandalized, I retracted my statement, "Er, yeah, I was going to try to get my first badge."

"He's a tough one!" Spencer pulled back the fabric of his vest to reveal two shiny badges, "I already got Gardenia's, too!"

I stared blankly at him, "Oh…hell…"

"What did you say, Miss?"

"It's Corrine," I told him, blushing. Calling me _Miss_. What the hell was this kid…oh, well, he was as adorable as a sack full of Eevee, so I supposed I didn't mind as much.

"Do you mind if I watch your battle, Cori?"

Cori? Oh _geez_.

"I guess not…" I trailed off. I looked at the kid. His clothes were way too big for his tiny frame, and he had a pair of huge, black-rimmed glasses that kept sliding down his nose. He was holding on to Carlos the Cacnea like the Pokemon was his only life source, but he had a smile on his face. Untidy brown hair fell around his face, curious hazel eyes studied me with the intent only a small kid could get away with. "Fine, Spencer, let's go fight Roark."

"Well, technically, I don't need to because I already have a badge from here…"

"I get that. I was just saying…"

We walked across town, Spencer making idle talk now and then. He was a chatty kid, but one that I could tell knew what he was talking about. Strange.

"Did you know that Pidgey migrate to Hoenn for the winter and Taillow migrate to Kanto for the same season? It's very interesting to think that two native birds switch like that when the snow starts to fall - "

I nodded assent to that, listening to the kid was like getting a schooling in Pokemon 101 all over again. But no, I did not know that, little Spencer. Very interesting. Actually, it was. No sarcasm there.

He had trailed off for a moment and then I asked, "Is Carlos your only Pokemon?"

Spencer shook his head, "Nope! I have a Buizel named June and a Taillow named Solomon. How many Pokemon do you have?"

"Two. As of now," I said, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Spencer bent over and tapped Ozzy on the head, who quacked and grasped his skull with clawed hands. "Duck, duck, duck!"

"Oh, did I hurt him?"

"Nah," I dismissed, peering at Ozzy with a quizzical look, "He's just…special."

"Psy!"

We turned the corner and found ourselves at the gym. Suddenly, I felt my heart start to patter sporadically in my chest. This was it. My first gym battle, which would lead - hopefully - to my first gym badge. I would officially be in the gym circuit. Adrenaline sped through my veins and I stepped forward.

"Are you cold? Your hands are shaking."

I turned around and gave him a Mean Look that would have every Bannette quaking in their boots. I shivered, _Bannette. _Not a welcome image to have before a match as big as this one. "No, I'm fine, Spencer. Let's go."

"Okay!" he exclaimed. I heard his slight stumble as he tripped over his shoelaces and tried to suppress a laugh.

I pushed the doors of the gym open and stared.

And stared.

Did I mention I stared?

I wasn't sure where to get started. There were boulders everywhere, jutting up from the rocky ground and from the sides of the walls and from every place I could think of. Of course, Roark was a rock-type trainer, so I guessed this was expected. I looked around to try to find out where exactly Roark was, but to no avail. There were stairs and bridges and ropes hanging from every nook and cranny of the place.

"Challenger!"

I jumped and let out a small yelp. Feeling a blush form on my cheeks, I turned in the direction of the voice, "Yes?"

He was a young boy with a hardhat on. Dirt coated his cheeks and I couldn't tell if his hair was actually that brown in color or if the dirt had expanded to there as well.

"I'm the first gym trainer here! You are to fight me before you can get to Roark."

I blinked at him before turning to Spencer, "It's true," he said, shrugging his tiny little shoulders.

Sighing, I said, "Alright, then. Let's go!"

The gym trainer ended up having only a Geodude and a Zubat, which were surprisingly taken out by both Zeke and Ozzy in a double battle. I grinned over at the kid who was blushing to the roots of his hair. I felt pride surge in my chest, but that was trampled when Ozzy decided, in a fit of elation over the victory, to latch his bill onto Zeke's stubby little tail. To say the least, it wasn't pretty, and I was blushing so hard I thought blood would pour out my ears by the end of it. I ended up pulling them apart by force, giving them a few Potions, and then returning them both so they wouldn't harass one another while I tried to actually find Roark in the boulder bonanza around me.

"Are you the only gym trainer here?"

"…yes."

"Okay!" I grinned toothily in Spencer's direction, "On to Roark, then!"

"Newbies…" I heard him mutter, but I decided to ignore it. The big dog in town was next, and I was more than pumped from my unorthodox victory.

To get to Roark, however, was a completely different story. I had to maneuver myself over bridges that hung between pillars, getting hung up in dead ends and whatnot before I finally arrived in front of the man himself.

"Hi, I'm Roark, the leader of this gym. You look pretty green, but I won't go easy on you! You'll have to _earn _that first badge from me!"

I ignored the jab at my experience and gave him a slight smile. More nervous than I thought I would be, I placed my hands in my pockets and fiddled around for one of my Pokeballs, "Alright, let's go, Zeke!"

The ball split in two with a crack. A flash of light, and my starter was standing in front of me, his short tail waggling idly. He gave a bark and dug his paws into the dirt as Roark appraised him with an amused expression.

"Oh, don't you know? Houndour are part fire-type, they have a weakness against rock-types - "

I turned toward Spencer, "Um, yeah."

"Then, why - "

"It'll be okay, Spenc - "

"Geodude, Rock Throw!"

I squeaked, "Zeke! _Oh my Palkia_, dodge it!"

Zeke got smacked by one of the rocks and dodged the rest. Well, at least Roark was starting out with a Geodude, one of the Pokemon Zeke had gone up against when we had fought that gym trainer, so I had a bit of confidence that he could pull his off. "Try an Ember!"

Zeke ran around on the rocky terrain that encircled us, jumping and dodging Geodude's fists, and - well, fists. It didn't really have anything else. Other than the rocks, and those were plentiful around here. He dodged one particularly rough looking rock and shot out an Ember that charred Geodude's side.

"Geo!" Geodude groaned as it pushed itself forward, using its hands, and threw itself into a tackle.

"Atta girl!" Roark crowed, pumping a fist in the air, "Try Mud Slide!"

"Dude!" the Geodude crowed before - somehow - summoning mud and tossing it into my Houndour's direction. It caught Zeke in the face, and he whined, swiping his face with his paws, trying to get regain his sight.

"Tackle!"

Geodude launched herself into Zeke's side with a triumphant grin, and Zeke howled in pain. I winced, reaching desperately for my Pokeball to return him, but Zeke bore down at Geodude at the last second, snarling and growling like a Pokemon possessed, and then Tackling it back. I wasn't sure if it would hurt Geodude, but the skull cap caught her in her side, and she let out a rugged scream. Zeke was on her in a flash before I could call out any moves, scratching and clawing and chewing at the rock-type's surface until the small boulder-like Pokemon was immobilized.

Roark blinked a few times before recalling the Geodude with a, "Good job, girl." He then turned his eyes on me before unlatching another Pokeball from his belt. "That Houndour of yours was lucky that first time against a type disadvantage. I'd like to see him beat this!"

Roark threw the Pokeball in front of him, it opened with a loud crack and a flash of light. I fought the urge to shield my eyes as a large, snakelike creature appeared, made of several boulders. The thing was so huge I had to crane my neck to look into its eyes, and then regretted doing so.

Zeke was so _tiny_ compared to the large, imposing Onix.

He stood his ground, though, looking completely unfazed by the gigantic rock-snake. I fought the urge to return him, imagining all kinds of awful things that could happen, but I didn't. But oh, I wanted to.

"Onix, Tackle!"

I saw Zeke tense and brace himself for the blow, and I felt myself doing the same.

At that point, I could only hope.

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><p><em><strong>End.<strong>_


	12. A Stone's Throw Away

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Pokemon._

_Thanks to __**May and Dawn are the best **__and __**Umbree **__for your reviews! They really made my day. Anyway, I hope that y'all enjoy this chapter. It was kind of difficult to write, but I hope I did a good job! I would love to hear your reviews. Thanks so much for sticking with me!_

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><p><strong>Spotlight<br>****Chapter Twelve: A Stone's Throw Away**

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><p>"Um, Miss Corrine, it would behoove you to return your Houndour."<p>

"I'm _aware _of that, Spencer!" I couldn't help but screech like a Fearow at the small boy as he tried to help. Right. He was only trying to help. I turned to him for a few seconds and gave him an apologetic look, "Sorry."

He looked sheepishly at me and gave a shrug of his small shoulders, "No problem."

The sinking feeling of guilt occupied my stomach as I turned back to the battle. I watched as Zeke dodged the Onix's brutal looking Tackle and land on an outcropping of rock nearby. He started to growl, and I saw him lean forward before launching himself at the Onix. I hadn't realized I had not given him any kind of command until it was too late and the Onix tried to rake him away with his tail. It caught Zeke on his side, and he fell to the ground. He was only down for a few minutes and then ended up back on his feet yet again. He was still conscious, but wobbling here and there. He still launched himself at the Onix as if it were nothing, and Tackled.

I was frozen, unable to even call out attacks in fear that I would say something wrong that would get Zeke killed.

"Zeke, give it an Ember!" I shouted, trying to overcome my paranoia and fear.

Zeke opened his mouth and jumped up as he collected the fire in his mouth before spitting it directly into the Onix's face.

The Onix roared and smashed its face into the ground as if to quell the burn. I watched as the Onix flailed around. Zeke tried to dodge one its tail, but ended up getting hit with it. Zeke fell to the ground, knocked out. I ran forward and grasped him in my arms, not caring that there was a flailing Onix nearby, and pulled him back to the safety of the sidelines. He was still breathing, which I was extremely thankful for, and I scratched him behind the ears before returning him. I sighed shakily. One more Pokemon. One more shot.

I unhooked the Pokeball from my belt and said, "Let's do this, Ozzy!"

Ozzy appeared in a flash of light from his Pokeball. I found myself unwilling to hook Zeke's ball back on my belt, so I cradled it in my hands as I shouted at Ozzy, "Give it a Water Gun! Aim for its face!"

The spray of water that came out of Ozzy's mouth was surprisingly powerful, and it nailed the Onix directly in the eyes. The burn that I thought had hurt it was more than likely soothed by the cool water, but the water hurt it more than it helped it. The Onix roared and blindly swiped his tail towards Ozzy.

"Your Psyduck's speed might be a factor in this, Miss Corrine."

"Spencer…if you be a bit quieter, I'll go buy you a textbook or something after this."

I heard his gleeful chuckle, and nothing else from him the entire match.

I sighed gratefully, and watched as Ozzy waddled about, completely clueless as to what was going on. He obviously didn't realize he was about to be smashed by the gigantic Onix, who obviously couldn't see where he was going due to the combination of fire and water attacks.

Ozzy dodged one of the Onix's frenzied attacks quite easily. I pursed my lips and decided that the Onix's face would be its weaker point. "Scratch attack! Aim for the spot weakened by the water."

Most days I wasn't sure if Ozzy was capable of understanding what I was saying, but he seemed to get what that meant. He leapt up - higher than I thought him capable of - and slashed the Onix's eyes with his small claws. The Onix roared and fell down, and if he wasn't able to see before, he certainly was going to need a round in the Pokemon Center now.

Roark huffed and returned his Onix. "Good, good. Last Pokemon. Cranidos! Let's go."

The ball containing the aforementioned Cranidos split open, and the Pokemon in question formed. It was a little dinosaur-looking thing, colored blue and gray. Its head was rather large, the top portion colored blue and spikes protruded from the back area. Bright red eyes stared down at my Psyduck's dopey ones.

The difference between the two was so comical I would have found it funny in any other situation.

Ozzy still had the advantage, being a water-type, but the Cranidos was rather intimidating, just looking at it. I had to break myself from staring at the thing and told Ozzy, "Water Gun!"

Ozzy opened his mouth and a strong stream of water blasted the Cranidos in the stomach. The dinosaur howled in pain, its weakness exploited. I felt my heart starting to race, thinking that I could possibly win this. Maybe it wouldn't be so farfetched that I could beat this guy…

"Cranidos, Headbutt!"

The top of the dinosaur's head seemed to gleam as it charged forward, reckless in its assault. I shouted at Ozzy to dodge, but he was too slow. He managed to dodge only marginally, the brunt of the blow hitting his stomach and sending him stumbling back into the rocks. I heard his surprised exclaim and winced, hoping that he was okay.

Ozzy rose from the rubble, brushing his head off with his scrabbling hands. He croaked a little sound of indignation and confusion before staring at the Cranidos. Worry for my newest Pokemon seeped through my body.

The Cranidos charged yet again and I exclaimed for Ozzy to move. He did, but the Cranidos managed to block him off, and smashed its head against Ozzy's. Ozzy quacked loudly, and I could hear the pain in his voice. I shouted at him to give it another spray of water, which he did. The Cranidos roared - louder than I thought it was capable of - and tossed its head around, as if to fling the droplets from its scalp.

It looked to be weakened, which I was glad for. I wasn't sure how much longer Ozzy could go against him, but I hoped that our training had been worth something. I felt Zeke's Pokeball in my hands and clenched my fingers tighter around it. I could only hope that Zeke wasn't hurt too badly. This was the first time I'd battled in a match that was this _huge_. I really didn't want to have to come back and face him again if I lost in a blaze of stupidity.

Ozzy had waddled to the center of the battling arena, hands on his head in his characteristic position, "Duck, duck."

The Cranidos roared, showing rows of tiny, sharp teeth, and loped toward Ozzy. It swung its stubby little tail and smacked Ozzy on the head. He warbled a little note and groaned before swiping blindly with his claws. He managed to rake his hands across the Cranidos' eyes, drawing blood and making the dinosaur-like Pokemon scream in pain.

"Water Gun!" I commanded, not really knowing what other move could inflict pain on such a rock-solid competitor.

Ozzy panted and sprayed a fresh jet of water into the face of his opponent. I found myself smiling a bit before the Cranidos leapt forward through the stream of water and chomped down _hard _on Ozzy's arm.

"Duck!" Ozzy shrieked before yanking his arm out of the Cranidos' mouth. I could see teeth marks puncturing his small, wobbly limb, and I cringed. I shouted at him to move, and was in awe at what I witnessed.

Well, Ozzy _moved_, alright. He was so flustered at being hurt that he ended up floundering about the place, moving around the wet mud that his blasts of water had created. He was leaping about like he had lost his mind, and then - somehow - he had a stroke of genius. Whether it was thought up by himself or not, I could not be sure.

There was a deep puddle of mud created by one of the craters in the gym floor collapsing during the Cranidos' tirade. Filled to the brim with disgusting, thick, slimy mud. I watched in somewhat horror as Ozzy made splashed into the mud, sending it flying everywhere.

Even over the charging Cranidos' eyes.

The Cranidos roared. And I mean _roared_. Everyone except Ozzy seemed to be affected by it. He just sat there, dopily, in the mud and watched as the Cranidos ran around, bumping into things because he couldn't see. Because his arms were too short to wipe the mud from his eyes.

The Cranidos charged about the gym, roaring in despair and anger. I was too stunned at what had just occurred to even say anything to Ozzy, who was rolling around in the mud, coating himself in it like the happy Psyduck he was.

And here I thought I had _some _semblance of control over at least one of my Pokemon.

Wrong, Corrine, _wrong._

Ozzy rose - with some difficulty - out of the mud-pool and walked over to the rampaging Cranidos. He quacked like he didn't have a care in the world and shook the mud off of him, spackling the rest of the Cranidos' body with it. I felt the urge to slap myself on the forehead at the utter _ridiculousness _of it all.

"Craaa!" the Cranidos desperately crowed. It started to shake its body, doing no good other than slinging off just a bit of the mud on his body. The mud on its face was left intact, giving me somewhat of a sweet reprieve.

I looked across the arena and saw that Roark was clueless as to what to do. Ozzy was flailing about, and finally scratched the Cranidos on the spots of his body that were weakened by the mud.

The Cranidos roared again - a sound that would rival any Exploud's cry - and ran. It propelled itself into the rocky wall, knocking its large head against it. There was a loud crack of a sound and the Cranidos rolled onto its back.

Defeated.

I blinked several times, incredulous. Roark seemed to be doing the same. Quietly, he reached out his arm and withdrew his Pokemon.

"Well," Roark said, looking at the ball in his hands as if he'd seen a special kind of win. And not special as in magnificent. Special as in _the dumbest win in the history of the training world._ "Looks like you've defeated me. Erm…come get your badge."

Defeated? Roark only had three Pokemon? The thrill of being _victorious _at something for once flowed through my veins.

I…had won?

_I'd won!_

I jumped in the air like the _poised _individual I am and found myself stumbling across the battling arena. I tripped twice in the thick mud that had caused the Cranidos' defeat. Covered in the stuff, I didn't care. I was too excited to receive my first gym badge, after winning a battle that I thought I was going to lose. I picked up my muddy little Psyduck and hugged him for all he was worth.

A goofy grin spread across my face. I knew that I couldn't contain myself. I tried not to shake, but my hands were trembling in the adrenaline that was pooling through my body.

Roark stared at me, thinly veiled amusement dancing through his eyes. He also looked slightly stunned. I assumed he thought I would have been easy pickings. I admit, I did too. I thought that I was going to get creamed as soon as I saw that Cranidos - or, really, the Onix - emerge from its ball.

He held out his hand and showed me the badge. I found my grin widening. "Congratulations, trainer. You have won the Coal Badge."

"Thanks! Thank you!" I grinned and took the badge out of his hand after setting Ozzy on the ground next to me. My first badge. The first part on my quest to…well, whatever I was headed for in this strange country.

Roark looked at me and finally said, "Good battle. It was a fluke, but I can respect flukes. Train harder, because the leaders get more challenging as your journey will go on."

I blinked a few times, his words humbling me in an instant. He was right. Had Ozzy not gone completely mental, I probably would have lost. I still didn't know if he had meant to do that to the Cranidos, but I figured I would never really know. I could try asking, but most likely all I'd get would be a blank-eyed stare.

"Yeah…" I said, "I'll train harder."

"Don't get discouraged." Roark smiled at me lightly, "It takes a lot of training, but it's all worth it. Just be careful. It's a dangerous world out there, believe it or not."

And now I'd gone from being excited to humbled to completely in the buzz-kill zone. I needed it, though. I smiled slightly and flipped the badge over and over between my fingers. One flip too many and it plopped in the dirt. Groaning, I bent over and retrieved it, my new badge already smudged.

"You might need to invest in a badge case as well," he remarked. "Unless you plan on pinning them to your book bag like a preschooler."

I wrinkled my nose at him, feeling a blush cross my face.

"That's what you were going to do, huh?"

This Roark guy might as well have been an Alakazam.

* * *

><p>I healed my Pokemon before I decided to head to the Mart to see if they had badge cases, since I had a while since I had to meet Willa. According to Roark, I needed a badge case so that they could be easily organized in case I needed to identify myself quickly. Some places only allowed entrance to trainers with a certain number of badges, and this would help me in that department in case they ever asked me for them.<p>

Also, according to Roark, I needed to invest in a traveling partner with common sense.

I was sure that sarcasm leaked from all his pores.

"Miss."

I leaped and turned around, half shocked and half elated to see little Spencer and his Cacnea staring up at me.

"Yes, Spencer," I said. "Please don't call me miss. Corrine will be fine."

"Okay…" he trailed off. "Um. What are you doing?"

I returned Ozzy and said, "Headed to the Mart. Wanna come?"

"Okay!"

I hadn't really thought of how muddy I was until I entered the PokeMart and saw that everyone was looking at me like I had suddenly become the third head on an evolving Doduo. I found myself blushing to the roots of my hair and moving to ask the guy at the register where the badge cases were. He pointed in a vague direction, and I sighed, moving over to that area, Spencer in tow.

Turns out, there was a shelf dedicated to badge cases. They were all a uniform silver in color, made out of shining metal. I moved to pick one out and held it in my hand. Heavier than I had given it credit for. I sighed and moved to pay for it. The price of the thing was pretty expensive, but I figured that it would be worth it. After all, Roark had given me a good amount of prize money for winning. Even if it was the fluke to end all flukes.

I put the thing on the counter and then paused, looking toward the bookshelf and then to Spencer. My earlier words rang through my head.

"_Spencer…if you be a bit quieter, I'll go buy you a textbook or something after this."_

Ugh, I'm such a sucker.

I told Spencer to save my place in line. He looked curious, but didn't ask why. I darted over to the bookshelf and scanned through the titles. I found one that looked rather interesting and took it off the shelf before striding back to the saved place in line and smacking the hardback copy of _Cacnea, Cacturne, and You_ right beside the badge case.

I paid for the things, the cashier bagged them, and I left. Spencer stumbled along behind me. I made my way to the Pokemon Center, but I stopped and turned to Spencer as soon as we got to the entrance. I reached into the bag, pulled out the book, and handed it to him, "Here."

Spencer's large eyes wavered underneath the lenses of his glasses. He took the book in his tiny hands and peered at it with unconcealed interest, "Oh…oh, thank you! You didn't have to!"

"Yeah, I did. It's a thank you."

Spencer looked up at me as Carlos did a few twirls around his feet, looking rather limber for something I thought wouldn't be able to move fluidly. "Thank you! I can't wait to start reading it!"

"Maybe it'll teach you a few things," I grinned at him.

Spencer had already opened the book and shoved his nose in. I smiled at that as I turned, opening the door to the Pokemon Center.

And was immediately tackled by Willa.

"Gah! What the hell!"

"I caught a Pokemon!" she exclaimed. Her eyes looked wild, her hair was a tangled mess of blonde and green. There were cuts and bruises marring her skin, and one of the straps of her tanktop was torn.

"Did you fight it _yourself_?" I asked, my eyes wide with incredulity.

Willa ignored my shot at her appearance and grabbed my shoulder, steering me toward the counter where the Pokemon were taken back to be healed. I could hear Spencer's small feet tottering behind us.

"Look," she whispered, as if we were in a library or something else completely ridiculous.

I sighed exasperatedly and moved to look where she was pointing. It was a door that was cracked open so that anyone that was really searching could see the healing room beyond it. I squinted to see what she had caught.

I saw bright color first. White and red. Thick fur spread across its body. Strong arms ending in large black claws. A set of angry, black eyes, the sclera an odd shade of rose. The creature was sitting on the table, arms crossed as the nurses chattered around it, looking superior.

While I had been getting my first gym badge, Willa had captured a Zangoose.

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><p><em><strong>End Chapter Twelve.<strong>_


	13. Difficulty Unsurpassed

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Pokemon._

_Thanks so much to Umbree for your review! It's really nice to know that people still read. So, here's the next chapter. I hope that everyone enjoys this because I know I had fun writing it! _

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><p><strong>Spotlight<br>****Chapter Thirteen: Difficulty Unsurpassed**

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><p>"A…<em>Zangoose<em>?"

Willa turned to me, a prideful smirk on her face, her crazed eyes wheeling, "Yep! What do you think?"

"I _think _you've gone a tad bit insane."

"_What_?" Willa said, drawing out each letter of the simple word. She scratched her matted hair and, to my surprise, pulled out a twig. It was another question that I needed to ask. What the hell had she gone through to catch that freakin' Zangoose?

"I _think _you've gone as nutty as a _Crobat_."

"Hey!" she exclaimed in faux indignation, "I happen to know plenty of trainers with Crobat who are…" she trailed off. "Um, okay. Never mind. Besides, you look like a Aipom's playmate." She gestured to my muddied appearance.

I grinned at her, ignoring her jab, "So are you going to tell me exactly how this all happened?"

Willa smiled back, and I saw the split in her lip as she did so. Blood trickled from the cut and I sighed, "Maybe you need to get checked out, too."

She shrugged, "Yeah. I guess."

"Finally!" one of the nurses not named Joy exclaimed. "We've been telling her that ever since she got here!" The nurse grabbed Willa by her bruised arm and took her off to the back room, Willa laughing maniacally all the while.

I wondered, idly, if she had finally snapped.

Shaking my head, I looked over to the counter. I had healed my Pokemon earlier that day, right after I had captured my first gym badge, so that was out of the question. They had told me that Zeke's Combee sting had completely healed earlier than the nurse in Floaroma had told me, so the bandages were no longer necessary. Ozzy was in better shape than Zeke, due to his type advantage. They were both healed, but I was a little nervous at how Zeke would take his defeat against that wretched Onix.

I turned to the head nurse and booked a room. Looking at Spencer, still latched to my side with his nose in that book, I decided to book one for three. The nurse smiled at me and handed me three keys. I told her to give the third one to Willa - or as I referred to her as "the crazy blonde with the Zangoose" - and went up the stairs into the room.

"Come on, Spencer," I called.

He jolted, looking surprised as I tossed him his key. He fumbled it, not sure whether to catch it or keep reading about the habits of Cacnea, and it clattered to the floor. Spencer pushed his glasses up on his nose and bent over to pick it up.

"I'm rooming with you?"

"Yup, me and Willa." I rolled my neck, feeling the soreness and tension in my body. As well as dried mud. We walked up the stairs a ways before turning down the hall that housed the rooms. I looked out for our room number and finally found it. I unlocked the door with my key and scanned the room.

Two sets of bunk beds, a run in the center of them. A television propped up on a desk that was pushed back against the small window. It looked like the norm for Pokemon Centers. I glanced to the side and saw a door. Bathroom. Shower. _Yes, please._

I dropped my pack on the floor by the door and raced to the bathroom. In mere seconds, I was in the scalding spray of the shower, feeling the caked-on mud fall from my body. I took a small bath towel and scrubbed. I went through two of them before looking down and seeing that the floor of the tub was brown with mud. I scrubbed my hair and everything. I just couldn't get clean enough, it seemed. There was even mud in my _ear_ for some reason.

After what seemed like too short a time, I shut off the shower and wrapped a towel around myself. I stuck my head out the door and called to Spencer, "Hey, Spence, could you bring me my…"

I paused. Opened and closed my mouth like a desperate Feebas.

There was a strange man in my room.

I screamed and flew out of the door, grabbing my backpack and pulling out whatever I could find. Where were my Pokeballs? _Why _didn't I buy that gigantic knife made out of Aggron armor when I had the chance? Stupid! I had left my Pokeballs hooked to my belt back in the bathroom.

"Miss Corrine, it's fine," I heard Spencer say, "he's my dad."

I paused, looked the strange man in the eyes to find that they were the exact same color and shape as Spencer's, and dragged myself and my backpack into the bathroom before shutting the door, face as red as a tomato.

I heard his chuckle as I got dressed. I changed into the only other pair of clothes I had and put my muddied ones into a laundry basket that was hidden in the closet inside the bathroom. I walked out of the bathroom with my Pokeballs firmly on my belt and was prepared to defend why I had looked like someone out of a bad soap opera.

"Erm," I said, trying to get their attention. Spencer and his father were sitting on the bottom bunk of one of the beds and chatting. Spencer looked happy, but there was a strained look on his father's face that I couldn't place. "Hello."

They turned to look at me and immediately I felt my face heat up. Lovely.

"Uh, I'm Corrine," I stepped forward, adjusting the laundry basket in my arms, "Nice to meet you…"

"Mark," he said. "Mark Rollins."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Rollins."

He waved his hand, "No, no, none of that. My son already has a problem with being too polite. Call me Mark."

"Right. Mark." I tested it out. It was weird, calling an adult by name, but Mark seemed very young, so I didn't focus on it too much.

He was tall, towering over me, and slender. His hair was cut neatly and was the color of sand. He had the same hazel eyes as his son, but they weren't obscured by glasses. He was wearing all dark colors, which was probably what caught me off guard when I had first seen him.

"Dad, this is Miss Corrine," Spencer introduced him. "The one I've been texting you about."

"You've been _texting _about me?"

Spencer ignored me, "She bought me this book about Carlos!" He pointed to the hardcover book on Cacnea and Cacturne I had gotten him. Carlos leaped on his lap at the mention of his name. "Did you know Cacturne hide in the desert and wait for weary travelers - "

"Spencer," his father said, holding out a calming hand. I could see he had experience dealing with the knowledgeable child. "That's really nice, but did you want to head to another city?"

"I was thinking about going to Pastoria first, if that's okay, Dad. You know, they have a Safari Zone?"

"Yeah, that's fine," his father said, giving him a weary smile that was tinged with something I could only barely pick out. Sadness. "Maybe you should go heal your Pokemon first, and then I'll take you."

"Okay!" Spencer exclaimed before wrapping his twig-like arms around Carlos. I had noticed how small and frail Spencer was when I first met him, but chalked it up to his age. The way he was interacting with his father made me doubt even that. He grasped the bag on the floor next to his feet and walked to the door, though I could sense the enthusiasm in his step.

The door shut behind him, and I heard Mark let out a large breath and leaned over, his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.

"I hate to pry," I ventured timidly, "but…is Spencer okay?"

Mark looked up at me, his eyes looking far too old for his face, "What makes you ask that?"

I pursed my lips. I wasn't really sure why I thought that, but everything just felt off to me. I voiced the observation I held earlier, "It's just…you don't see a lot of parents escorting their kids to gym cities."

Mark scoffed, a bitter smile on his face, but his eyes didn't leave mine. "Spencer is a good boy. He's my _son_. He's only thirteen."

He must have heard my sharp intake of breath. I'd thought he was eleven when I'd first met him, but to find out that he was indeed only a year younger than me was like a punch to the gut.

"He's always been a sickly child, ever since he was young. His immune system just isn't as strong as some people's. He's gotten better with age. He can actually travel and battle and all the good stuff kids are supposed to do. He's still got bad allergies, asthma. He needs an inhaler with him at all times. He can't walk long distances without becoming very weak and vulnerable to an asthma attack.

"He's also extremely allergic to electric-type Pokemon. With so many Shinx in the area, it's natural for us to be worried. It doesn't take much for him to have an episode. Not to mention the gym in Sunyshore. I dread that conversation. Because I _know _he'll want to go."

I felt my knuckles pressed against my lips without even remembering making the motion. The waves of hopelessness coming off of this man were palpable.

"Could he travel with us?" I asked him.

Mark smiled, "That's very sweet of you, Corrine. Spencer seems to have taken a liking to you, but I don't think that's a good idea. Do you have any idea what to do when someone has an extreme allergy like that? Spencer could be walking with you and suddenly collapse. A Pachirisu could pop up and send him into one of his allergic episodes. I appreciate your offer, but…I just couldn't do it."

He paused, smiling wryly, "Not to mention that my wife would kill me. This is kind of our compromise, you know. She didn't want him to go on adventure at all, at first. Then Spencer got all indignant and wouldn't talk to anyone for two weeks. Long story short, my wife let him go on his journey."

"That's good," I said, not sure what else I could possibly do. I felt so helpless, that this intelligent boy would succumb to awful allergies and sickness just like that. I wanted to hug him and to apologize for my rudeness toward him. Guilt settled like a stone in my stomach.

Mark seemed to sense how I felt because he then said, "The best you can do is be his friend. He doesn't have many of those. Give him your number when he comes back." He gave a reassuring smile. "He'll light up like a school of Lanturn."

"Yeah," I breathed, convinced. "I'll do that!"

He smiled and stood up, brushing his pants off before musing, "I'm sure his Taillow will evolve soon enough, and maybe when he gets older, he'll grow out of that allergy. Maybe his body will get stronger." He looked at me and continued, "It never hurts to hope, Corrine."

"No." I smiled, "It doesn't."

* * *

><p>I walked downstairs to find that Spencer was just receiving all his Pokemon back from the nurse. That didn't take long at all. I figured that with Willa's crazy self being patched up and her monstrous Zangoose needing medical care that things would run slower, but I had been wrong. Everything was moving as fluidly as ever around the small Pokemon Center.<p>

Mark walked over and placed his hand on Spencer's tiny, birdlike shoulder. "Ready to head to Pastoria?"

Spencer's eyes lit up as he looked at his dad just after clipping the final Pokeball to his belt. "You know it!"

"Good," Mark said in a fatherly tone. He led Spencer out the door, and I found myself following.

"Hey, Spencer," I called.

"Yes?" he asked, turning around.

"Get out that phone of yours if you want my number."

Spencer suddenly grinned - _lit up like a school of Lanturn, _his father had told me - and brought out his small flip phone. I recited my number and he then sent me a text message with his. I smiled back and saved his number in my phone just as he did the same. I looked at Mark, who was smiling at me in a way that reminded me of my own father.

Mark stepped away from me and dug a Pokeball out of one of his deep-looking pockets. He maximized it and threw it in front of him. There was a crack, a flash of light, and a _huge Tropius _stood in front of us, fluttering the leaf-like wings on its back in an airy manner.

Amazed at the large Pokemon, I couldn't stop staring. A _Tropius_. I had never thought I would've gotten to see one in person, they were so rare.

"Up you go, Spencer," Mark helped his son on the Tropius' back before turning to me. "This is Lily. Lily, say hello to Corrine."

Lily craned her head at eye-level with me. I was sure my eyes were the size of quarters. Lily chuckled and licked the side of my head as Mark and Spencer laughed. I wrinkled my nose as I tried to run my hands through my hair. Another shower was definitely in order. Mark took his place behind his son, and looked down at me.

"Our house is in Hearthome," Spencer shouted down to me. "Maybe you could visit sometime!"

"Maybe before then," I reassured him.

Spencer's face lit up again. It was something that I was able to keep my emotions in check after all that I'd learned. "Good luck on with your battle in Pastoria!"

"Thanks! Good luck to you, too!"

Mark gave me a smile in parting before lightly kicking the sides of the Tropius. Lily snorted a bit, as if she knew what she was doing, before laughing - or what I thought was a laugh - and rising into the air. I couldn't help but watch the whole thing, mesmerized by every minute detail of the Pokemon I had just encountered.

I found myself staring at the sky for the longest time, until the blue mixed with the light orange of the setting sun. I didn't want to go back inside for some reason, wanting to continue on my journey right then and there, though traveling at night wasn't necessarily the smartest idea. I ran a hand through my hair, balking at the fact that I might still have Tropius slobber there. That was probably what made me turn back into the Pokemon Center and head into my room.

I found the room empty except for the new backpack sitting on the top bunk. Looks like I'd always be demoted to the bottom bunk no matter who I roomed with. Maybe that was just Jared's influence on Willa. Or vice versa.

Oh, wait, there _was_ something else sitting on the bed.

The Zangoose.

I tensed, seeing its angry eyes settle on me. I reached for the Pokeballs on my belt and immediately unclipped Zeke's before throwing it on the floor in front of me. He emerged in a flash of light, facing me, his dark eyes shaded in amusement. I looked up to see the Zangoose had soundlessly jumped from the top bunk and was now approaching me. Not even able to emit a command, I pointed behind Zeke, who reluctantly turned around.

"Dour?" he asked.

"Yeah, I don't know."

"Zan! Zang-oose! _Zangoose_!" the Pokemon shouted, brandishing those sharp, deadly claws. It approached us, growling, showing needle sharp teeth. Zeke crouched, ready for action in the small, confined space. I saw Zeke open his mouth, saw the fire start to collect in the back of his throat.

"Zeke! Hey, now, we don't want to burn the place down…"

Zeke turned his head quirked a brow at me. I knew that look all too well. The one he gave me when he thought I was being particularly stupid.

"Zeke, just - "

"Hey, hey, hey," I heard a voice behind me. I turned, seeing Willa dressed in pajamas, several bandages crisscrossing her arms and one on her cheek. There was even less green in her hair than before. "What's happening, my Poke-migos?"

I blinked at her, "_You!_ You kept your freaking feral Zangoose out in a room that I was coming back to! It could have killed us!"

"_She_."

"Huh?"

"My Zangoose. It's a _she_."

I blinked, stunned at the lull in conversation before coming back to my anger, "But - but that doesn't matter!"

"It does to her," Willa said dryly, ignoring my outrage. "If you call her an 'it' again, she may just swipe your little face off."

"I mean - "

"I told her that someone would be coming in here. A gawky girl with brown hair, possibly dragging along a Houndour and Psyduck."

"But she - "

"Goose," the Zangoose rasped.

"Didn't mean to look threatening. My bad." Willa said, completely dispersing the situation.

"Sorry," I apologized, feeling like I'd burst a blood vessel over nothing.

"It's fine; I'd have been mad, too, if it were me. Zangoose are notoriously aggressive." She walked over to her bag and brought out her other Pokeballs before unleashing Milo, Gordon, and Lea in three flashes of light. I looked down at Zeke before releasing Ozzy, who looked clueless and intrigued in the new red-and-white addition to our friend's group.

Willa then plopped down on bunk directly beneath the one the Zangoose had been sitting on. Lea jumped up on her lap immediately, while Gordon floated around and Milo curled at her feet, resting his head on her toes. The Zangoose crossed her arms and walked begrudgingly over to her new team, snapping her jaws peevishly at Milo as he raised his head to look at her.

Ozzy quacked and flailed as he ran around me, and Zeke tried to get him to stop by snapping at his tail. While Willa's team looked like they were raised into royalty, my team was composed of complete spazzes.

"This," she began, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the Zangoose, "is Zafrina. And I'm guessing you're wondering how I caught her."

* * *

><p><em><strong>End Chapter Thirteen.<strong>_


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